Yamaha Home Entertainment Australia has announced an official partnership with beyondblue as part of a bid to help improve mental health in Australia.

“This partnership is part of Yamaha’s new commitment to give back to the community. As the world’s largest manufacturer of audio products, we wanted to show that there is so much more to music than it being an enjoyable pastime. Music is recognised for its positive effect on mental health, and so it made sense for us to dedicate our resources to this partnership with beyondblue,” says Yamaha Home Entertainment Division general manager Simon Goldsworthy.

beyondblue is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that is committed to helping Australians protect their mental health and tackle the stigma, prejudice and discrimination surrounding depression, anxiety and suicide. beyondblue’s vision is for all people in Australia to achieve their best possible mental health.

“We are extremely appreciative of the support from Yamaha Home Entertainment, which will help to fund beyondblue’s Support Service. This year, we are expecting more than 170,000 contacts to our Support Service, which helps people across Australia to access free, life-changing support, advice and information from trained mental health professionals,” says beyondblue chief executive Georgie Harman.

The beyondblue Support Service provides free, immediate, short-term counselling advice and referrals to any person in Australia via telephone and email and web chat from 3pm to midnight, 365 days a year.