Thursday, 23 June 2022

Ministers statements: mental health in schools program

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (14:27): I rise to update the house about how the Andrews government is supporting schools with investment in mental health. Firstly, I thank all school staff in every sector for their selflessness, professionalism and dedication over the past 2½ years. Enjoy the term break; you have earned it again. This year the challenge has shifted from remote learning to staffing impacted by flu and COVID. But despite all those challenges, all schools opened on day one, term 1 this year. Those opposite have been desperate for schools to close this year—desperate.

But even before the pandemic the Andrews government recognised that more needed to be done for students’ mental health. It is why in 2018 we promised a mental health worker in every government secondary school and specialist school—a promise made and a promise kept, a year ahead of schedule. It is why we promised a Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System and accepted all the recommendations—only on this side of the house. It is because we accepted all those recommendations that we are acting on those recommendations, rolling out the $200 million School Mental Health Fund this year and why this week we announced the single biggest mental health initiative for students in Australia’s history. Building on the success of the mental health in primary schools pilot, we will fund a mental health and wellbeing leader in every single government primary school and every single low-fee non-government primary school. That is 1800 school campuses.

On this side of the house we understand that ongoing and sustainable funding is what makes reform possible—not agreed by everyone. Indeed there are those who when asked whether they would cut funding to mental health have said, ‘If we can, we will’. The Leader of the Opposition will be damned by those words all the way to 26 November this year.