Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Western Victoria fires

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:19): My question is to the Premier. Following the devastating bushfire that destroyed 45 homes in Pomonal last Tuesday, Grampians Community Health rapidly established a mental health case management team, which was ready to be deployed last Thursday, to provide ongoing support to the community. Today Grampians Community Health are still waiting for funding approval so they can deploy this desperately needed support. Why hasn’t this Labor government approved additional funding for expanded mental health support for this traumatised community?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:20): I thank the member for Lowan for her question. I will immediately ask both the Minister for Emergency Services, who has responsibility for emergency recovery, and the mental health minister to understand what has happened here. As the member for Lowan may recall, when the Minister for Emergency Services and I – and I think the member for Lowan was there as well – travelled into Pomonal on Thursday afternoon, we met with a number of the emergency responders. As we were leaving the township and as the community were coming in, I know the Minister for Emergency Services wanted to ensure before we left that the mental health services were on the ground to support members of the community, many of whom were returning to the township for the first time since the fires went through on Tuesday. The minister was very anxious to ensure that the mental health services were there on the ground. There were some CFA peer support officers, but of course they provide support to the CFA volunteer network, not broader community support. As we were leaving the town, member for Lowan –

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the question was specific to why this support has not been funded. I raised the matter with the Premier’s office last Thursday and last Friday, the Minister for Mental Health on Saturday and again the Premier’s office yesterday. I have not even received a response from the Minister for Mental Health. I ask: why hasn’t this funding been delivered?

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. There are correct ways to raise points of order, member for Lowan; that is not one.

Jacinta ALLAN: At the outset I indicated to the member for Lowan that I was going to immediately follow this up, and I will do that immediately. I want to make it really clear that the conversations we had on Thursday in Pomonal were very much focused on ensuring that there were mental health supports on the ground. We were advised that there were. Indeed the Minister for Emergency Services, I think, may have even spoken to the Northern Grampians health team, who arrived when we were at the general store talking to members of the local community.

I will follow this up immediately to understand what has taken place, because I had understood that those supports were being provided to the local community. We will continue to work with the local community. I know the Minister for Regional Development was in Pomonal on Saturday. I know Emergency Recovery Victoria have been on the ground working with the Ararat city council. I know the Minister for Local Government has also been supporting the Ararat city council. We will have an immediate answer for the member for Lowan.

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:23): I have written to both the Premier’s office and the Minister for Mental Health’s office advocating for this critical additional mental health support to be immediately delivered to the Pomonal community.

Steve Dimopoulos interjected.

Emma KEALY: It is not politics when you want mental health support in a community that has burnt to the ground.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Lowan! Minister!

Emma KEALY: It is well known that the longer you leave mental health support after trauma, the more likely it is to lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. The CEO of Grampians Community Health has relayed to me that every single member of that community is suffering some level of trauma. Premier, how long will the Pomonal community have to wait before the Labor government provides this urgent additional mental health support?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:24): As I said to the member for Lowan in my previous answer, my understanding – because we saw it as we were in Pomonal on Thursday afternoon ‍– was that there were mental health supports available on the ground. In terms of her additional information, as I have indicated, we will follow that up immediately. I do know that the Minister for Mental Health addressed this yesterday at a meeting I was attending, where she made reference –

Emma Kealy interjected.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lowan will cease interjecting across the table.

Jacinta ALLAN: I know the Minister for Mental Health made reference to – in response to the mental health royal commission – the additional mental health support services in the local area that had not previously been there. We know that this government has been resolute in its support for implementing each and every one of the recommendations of the mental health royal commission. I will refrain from politicising the matter any further, other than to add that I will immediately follow up the matter the member for Lowan has raised.