New Ballarat Headspace Office Opens
Today I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the newly relocated headspace Ballarat centre at Level 1, 20 Dawson St North.
The new centre is larger and better equipped to meet the needs of the local community, and it was great to see how Ballarat Community Health has successfully transitioned its headspace service to this new facility.
headspace is a critical service in helping teens and young adults tackle personal challenges. When those challenges appear too immense, it is important there are welcoming places where young people can go to feel safe and supported.
In the past year alone, headspace Ballarat delivered more than 4,800 appointments, supporting young people across the region with mental health, physical health and vocational support.
The purpose-built centre has been funded through a $1.2 million Australian Government investment via Western Victoria Primary Health Network and has been designed in collaboration with young people to ensure it is welcoming, safe and responsive to the needs of the local community.
Record Numbers of GPs Start Training with the RACGP
We were delighted to see a media release from the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) last week announcing that a record 1772 doctors will start training to become specialist GPs in 2026 in the Commonwealth-funded Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program.
According to the RACGP, this is a 19 per cent increase on last year’s record breaking AGPT cohort. Of the 2026 cohort, “841 doctors on the rural training pathway will spend all three years of their training in regional, rural, or remote communities. This is a 44.2 per cent increase on 2025, driven by a 125 per cent rise in interest in rural training since 2024.”
We’re one of many regional health organisations that have been advocating for increasing the number of GP training places – particularly for those on rural or remote pathways – as such we’re very pleased to see this announcement in support of our regional and rural communities.
Clinical Networking Evenings in Horsham, Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool – You’re Invited!
We are inviting GPs, GP Registrars and Practice Nurses to join us for a specialist presentation and important updates from the WVPHN team at a series of evenings in Horsham, Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool in March.
Enjoy canapés and a complimentary two-course meal (drinks at bar prices) with colleagues and hear from a local specialist as well the latest news from WVPHN, including an overview of recent changes to My Health Record, featuring Faster Access for patients and Better Access for referrers to pathology and radiology
We have some fantastic speakers lined up:
- Horsham – Paediatrician, Dr Niroshan Amarasiri
- Ballarat – Dermatologist, Dr Alana Tuxen and Paediatrician, Dr Shaba Rajapaksa
- Geelong – Dermatologist, Dr Matthew Howard
- Warrnambool – Dermatologist, Dr Werner Sinclair.
You can learn more and register using the below links:
Craig Wilding, WVPHN CEO
18 February 2026