Construction of the endED Butterfly House, located in Mooloolah Valley on the Sunshine Coast, is scheduled to commence shortly, following the ground breaking ceremony officiated by the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt MP.
When completed in 2020, the endED Butterfly House will be the first residential facility in Australia and will be at the forefront of new treatment methods and innovation. It will make a significant contribution to improving treatment options for Australians with potentially fatal eating disorders.
“In Australia alone, more than one million people are estimated to be living with an eating disorder," said Kevin Barrow, CEO of the Butterfly Foundation. "We want to create a best practice model to support those Australians to get optimum care. MinterEllison has been key to help us on this journey. The firm's pro-bono support will help us turn endED Butterfly House into a centre that will make positive impact for Australians experiencing or caring for someone with an eating disorder and we cannot thank them enough for their continued commitment and support."
The Federal Government is providing $70.2 million to establish six residential eating disorders centres across Australia, in addition to endED Butterfly House.
"The endED Butterfly House on the Sunshine Coast is the first residential facility of its kind, purely focused on eating disorders within a community setting. Its success is critical to prove the model and establish a foundation for delivering future centres," said Keith Rovers, one of MinterEllison's Partners supporting the Butterfly Foundation on this project.
"We are proud to be helping to make endED Butterfly House a reality with pro-bono support from right across the firm," said Mr Rovers. "We couldn't be happier to support the Butterfly Foundation and endED and their professional and passionate project teams."
"Eating is such a basic human function and is the source of life and vitality. Sadly for some there are mental health issues that turn this basic necessity into a trauma that impacts not just themselves, but their families, carers and communities," said Mr Rovers. “The development of facilities like this and the building of knowledge and evidence for successful interventions can make a massive impact in reducing that trauma."
Pro-bono support came from across MinterEllison's service lines, including corporate, finance, tax and charity teams, property and construction, intellectual property and employment.
"We have helped out in all stages up to this point, and will be heavily involved in the future to see the facility through to completion and beyond," said Mr Rovers.
So far the firm has helped with documenting the funding and acquisition of the Mooloolah Valley site on the Sunshine Coast, registration of the charity with ACNC and ATO, governance processes, design and construction contracts and leasing and operating arrangements. The firm will provide ongoing support following delivery of the project next year.