Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:35): (795) My question today is for the Minister for Mental Health. The devastating bushfires in western Victoria have left many residents requiring urgent mental health support. Recommended by the 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, a mental health and wellbeing local should have been opened in Horsham by now. Instead, bushfire-impacted Dimboola residents suffering from trauma have been told to drive to their nearest local, which is over 2½ hours away in Ballarat. Minister, when will the Horsham local be open?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:36): I thank the member for the question. Of course I firstly want to acknowledge the devastating impacts that emergencies like bushfires, floods and storms can have on communities right across the state, including in western Victoria. I know that they have been dealing with a lot, including the recent bushfires this summer.

Our government is fully focused on making sure that we are expanding our mental health services right across the state, and that includes the rollout of our mental health locals. In terms of the Grampians and western Victoria area, we have made sure that there have been mental health supports available to the community on the ground in the immediate aftermath of those emergencies. They are matters that are standard practice in the aftermath of any kind of emergency event – that the department provides support through Minister Blandthorn’s department but also that through the health department those community services are rolled out.

In terms of having access to support in that western Victoria region, we do have the supports through the hub in Ballarat, and they have been doing some assertive outreach. They also stand ready to work with our health services in those areas should there be a requirement for any additional support. We have got a range of different programs in place. Of course members would be aware that we are continuing to provide new services, and that is as a result of the investment through the mental health levy but also through the work of continuing to roll out the recommendations of the royal commission. It is incredibly important that these services are able to respond to the community, and that is why assertive outreach is part of the model. I would encourage any member who has people in their communities who need to be connected with those local services and those additional outreach arrangements to always feel free to get in touch with either the health service in that area or directly with my office.

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:39): I thank the minister for her response. I note that she did not actually reference the Horsham local specifically, but she did talk about services across the state. Minister, similarly in East Gippsland, residents are still waiting for their Bairnsdale and Orbost locals to offer the full suite of promised services required to accommodate the ongoing trauma of bushfires and floods over there. There seems to be no firm timeline for the Horsham local and others are only partially completed. Has this Labor government decided to scrap the remaining mental health local hubs altogether?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:39): I just want to remind Ms Bath and also anyone else who is actually listening that there is no other jurisdiction in the country doing more when it comes to investing in mental health services for communities. Our government held a royal commission and now has a very strong plan for how it is that we will continue to increase services to the community. The locals have already been able to assist over 16,000 Victorians, many of them in regional and rural areas where, frankly, before locals were rolled out there was nothing other than travelling fairly long distances to get the support that they need. So of course we are investing in these services. The last budget also included an investment of $15.7 million to increase the workforce so that we can continue to expand our community mental health services, because we understand that they need to be close to where people live.