Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Ministers statements: mental health services

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:07): I rise to update the house on the work that the Allan Labor government is doing to give Victorians the mental health care that they need when they need it. The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System made it clear that Victoria needed more acute hospital-based mental health beds across the state and tailored models of care, and that is why on 8 October I was delighted to be able to join the Premier to officially open 52 new acute beds at Sunshine Hospital. This new state-of-the-art centre, designed in consultation with people who have lived experienced, is part of the Labor government’s $801 million mental health beds expansion program, which will deliver 260 new mental health beds across the system in Victoria. It is estimated the centre will provide more than 18,900 days of care to more than 1150 more people every year, giving Victorians the care and the treatment that they deserve.

Last week I was proud to officially open Victoria’s first child and family centre thanks to a $7.3 million investment from the government. The 12-bed centre operated by Austin Health will provide vital residential mental health and wellbeing treatment to children under 11 in an environment that allows them to stay with and be supported by their families. At the opening I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing from Sean, who has lived experience of the mental health system and navigating the system. Sean was a key member of the design team, which has created a warm and healing environment for families who have experienced trauma to get the care that they need.

Yesterday I announced the providers selected to deliver another nine mental health and wellbeing locals across Victoria, ensuring more people have access to free mental health care without the need for a Medicare or GP referral. I am proud to be part of a government that does not just talk about mental health reform but actually gets on with improving the system for every Victorian from the ground up.