Thursday, 9 September 2021

 Ms KEALY (Lowan) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Today is R U OK? Day. Small social outdoor gatherings are currently permitted in New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland. To counter the mental health crisis being felt by so many Victorians, will the government allow COVID-safe outdoor gatherings of up to five people?

 Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (15:06): I thank the member for Lowan for her question and for her reference to R U OK? Day. Particularly in the midst of a global pandemic, the lockdown, we know that this has a mental health impact on all Victorians, all Australians and people around the globe, so today is an important day to do exactly that: take a moment and ask someone—your loved ones, friends, colleagues at work—‘Are you okay?’. I just want to acknowledge that at the start.

In terms of the question that the member asked, the pertinent part of the question was ‘COVID safe’, and when we have advice from our public health experts that we can do things in a COVID-safe manner, whether that is gathering outside, whether it is indeed visits to your own home from people outside, whether it is gathering in numbers at hospitality venues, at churches, at synagogues, whatever it may be—we know all of this is vitally important for the community’s mental health and wellbeing and for the economic recovery of our state and our nation. All of these things are important.

But my message to the member for Lowan and to all those opposite is: at no stage will I as the Minister for Education responsible for schools, the Minister for Mental Health responsible for our COVID-safe arrangements based on the advice from public health or anyone in government act contrary to public health advice. We will not do that. We have not done that for the last 19 months. We will not do that. The moment, member for Lowan, that we can have more kids at school, the moment that we can have gatherings outside and the moment that we can have visits to the home, we will do so. But we will act in accordance with public health advice and the national plan. I will not take up the opportunity, the advocacy of those opposite, to work against the advice of public health experts. We will not do it.

The SPEAKER: On a supplementary question, the member for Lowan.

 Ms KEALY (Lowan) (15:08): Thank you very much, Speaker, and I hope that you are okay as well, having had to deal with us in this place over the past week.

A member interjected.

Ms KEALY: Yes, that is true. Knowing the damage social isolation is causing, will the government release the full written health advice, including the mental health advice, explaining why small groups, particularly Victorian families, are still banned from meeting outdoors?

 Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (15:09): I just reiterate an answer I gave earlier in the week. It is the public health orders. It is the detailed advice provided to this Parliament every single month. It is the detailed answers that a range of public health experts respond to a range of questions—

Ms Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, my question was specific to seeking the health advice and the mental health advice, not the public health orders. This is quite a different thing that we are asking for, and I ask you to bring the minister to be relevant to the question put.

The SPEAKER: Order! Thank you for raising the point of order, but the minister is being relevant to the question that was put to him.

Mr MERLINO: We have public health advice. We have orders signed off by Victoria’s chief health officer. And as our chief psychiatrist indicated when he stood up before the public last week, on mental health considerations there is constant input, constant engagement across a range of public health and other health experts, including mental health, including the chief psychiatrist, in terms of the advice, the recommendations and the public health orders that are made—keeping our communities safe. If we follow the advice of those opposite and just open up, our ICU beds will be absolutely run over. That is the reckless attitude of the opposition.