Wednesday, 18 June 2025

 Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:43): (1170) My question is for the Minister for Mental Health, and I ask on behalf of my constituents: when will the mental health locals, promised back in 2021 and again in 2022, be open and available to support my local people in Horsham, Hamilton and Ararat? It was promised as part of the royal commission’s recommendations that there would be 60 mental health locals built across the state so that people could access front-door mental health supports close to home. However, while a list of 20 sites was announced, we have not seen any progress towards making that a reality. For people in Hamilton, Horsham and Ararat, this is problematic because over the bushfires over this past summer we were told by the government, ‘If you need mental health support, go to your nearest mental health local,’ which is either Geelong or Bendigo. I therefore ask the minister: when will the mental health locals promised for Horsham, Hamilton and Ararat be opened and available to support my community?