Youth mental health program "Live4Life" has gained surety with Baw Baw Shire to serve as the lead agency for the next five years.

Councillors were unanimous in their decision despite a resident's claim the role should fall to the state government or health system.
Crs Suzanne Allen and Kate Wilson pointed out the program was fully funded from external sources instead of ratepayers.
"Renewing council's role as lead agency will ensure this valuable program continues to support young people where it matters most; early, locally and together," Cr Allen said.
Cr Wilson added, "we've got plenty of evidence that the program is achieving great results at no cost to council."
In an earlier verbal submission, resident Jackie Shearer warned against "cost creep and council drifting into areas that aren't really their job."
Ms Shearer said mental health was a serious issue "but that doesn't mean local council should step in and run youth mental health programs."
"That's the job of the state government and health system," she said.
Ms Shearer claimed the officer report contained no details on staffing hours and support required by council to fill the role.
"That's how cost creep starts...then suddenly we've got ongoing expenses we never planned for," she said.
"We can't pick and choose responsibilities based on which ones make us feel good. That's not good governance."
The officer report said Live4Life had been operating in the shire since January 2020. The evidence-based mental health education and youth suicide prevention initiative is specifically designed for rural and regional communities.
Council stepped in as lead agency in June 2023 when Latrobe Regional Hospital rescinded the role. At the time, no other agencies put their hand up and the program was at risk.
The lead agency role includes coordinating the program with local organisations, schools and the broader community via its youth officer as well as employment of a Live4Life partnerships co-ordinator, an externally funded position.
The report said the $155,000 cost of the 2025 program would be externally funding through grants and donations, and did not require additional council funding.
The Baw Baw program is the second largest and involves about 1000 year eight and 10 students at eight schools each year. In 2024, 83 per cent of participants reported increased confidence in identifying mental health issues.
The five-year agreement will continue until June 30, 2030.
Cr Allen said mental health was the leading cause of disease burden for 15 to 24-year-olds and Live4Life had been making a "meaningful impact" in Baw Baw since 2020.
She said Live4Life focused on early intervention and reducing stigma, helping young people understand and talk about mental health before challenges escalated.
"This is a generational movement towards normalising mental health conversations and building resilient rural communities," Cr Allen said.
Cr Wilson said she believed "all community issues are council issues and we just have to choose carefully about what our role is."
"When council first became lead agency for Live4Life, it was the only option for that program to continue in our shire," she said. "There was no other partner prepared or able to take the lead role."
"It's not costing us anything and we still get an excellent outcome for the youth in our shire," Cr Wilson said.