Australia's first Hindu school receives $8.5 million funding

The Coalition has announced a commitment of $8.5 million to help establish Australia's first Hindu school. This pledge follows a similar promise from the Labor Party. If elected, the Coalition plans to allocate $850,000 for a business case study to the Hindu Council of Australia. The remaining $7.65 million would be set aside for building expenses after the business case is completed. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton highlighted the significance of this project for the 684,000-strong Hindu community in Australia. He noted that this school would represent a long-cherished aspiration of the Hindu community. Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Labor's support for the school, which will be run by the Hindu Education and Cultural Centre. This organization has already acquired land for the school in Sydney's north-west. Census data shows a substantial rise in the Hindu population in Australia, growing by 55.3% from 2016 to 2021. Almost 2.7% of Australians identified as Hindus in the latest census, up from 1.9% five years earlier. In a separate initiative, the Coalition has promised to increase mental health support. This includes plans to double the number of subsidized psychology sessions available through Medicare. Currently, the government has reduced these sessions from 20 to 10, which has drawn criticism from health professionals. Liberal senator Anne Ruston announced that the Coalition aims to restore the yearly limit to 20 sessions. Additionally, there is a promise of $5 million for a Headspace youth mental health facility in Parramatta.