Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Drought relief

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:24): (897) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Farmers across the state are facing extremely dry conditions. It has been named the ‘forgotten drought’ due to the Allan government’s appalling lack of support for our food producers. What action has the minister taken to expand mental health support in rural and regional Victoria to meet the increased demand for mental health support for farmers and their families during this forgotten drought?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:24): I thank the member for her question. I do take issue with the way that you have characterised your question, Ms Bath. We have just heard from the Treasurer about our government’s commitment to making sure that we are supporting our farmers and our rural communities, who have faced unprecedented weather events, including of course the drought conditions that we are seeing in the west of the state and indeed in parts of the central districts of Victoria.

We know that extreme weather events, including fires, droughts and floods, do have an impact on people’s mental health in those communities, and they have done for a number of recent years. But I must say the Allan Labor government has been doing a power of work in making sure that we are opening new services, new mental health supports, right across the state. In fact there is no jurisdiction doing more than Victoria when it comes to investing in the mental health system and the mental health and wellbeing of our communities.

Can I just point to a number of new and free mental health services that are available across the regions, including new mental health locals at Latrobe, Wangaratta, Benalla, Mansfield, Bendigo, Ballarat and Greater Geelong. There are also a number of statewide telehealth support options, including Rural Health Connect, which is via ruralhealthconnect.com.au, and Partners in Wellbeing via 1300 375 330. Support for farmers and small business owners includes the Rural Financial Counselling Service, and the National Centre for Farmer Health is supporting primary producers through the delivery of initiatives to boost farmers’ mental health and wellbeing. People who may need to refer to more acute mental health supports can contact their area mental health service.

I will not touch on the drought supports, which are the purview of the Minister for Agriculture, but what I will say is that I would invite any member who has people in their communities who need to connect to mental health supports to get in touch with my office so that we can help facilitate contact with the local services that are available through our government’s investment.

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: It is very hard to hear the minister’s answer. I will call Ms Bath for a supplementary. If she could be heard in silence, and then the minister will respond in silence.

Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:27): I thank the minister for her response, but they were standing out on the steps of Parliament, including the CWA president, very concerned about the mental health of farmers under your jurisdiction.

In April, Minister, the South Australian government announced the significant funding amount of $73 million for a drought support package, which includes expanded mental health support. Why has the Victorian government been so slow to provide expanded mental health support for Victorian farmers facing the same drought conditions –

Members interjecting.

The PRESIDENT: Order! That did not work too well.

Tom McIntosh interjected.

The PRESIDENT: Order! Mr McIntosh! Ms Bath, can you ask the question so we can all hear it.

Melina BATH: Why has the Victorian government been so slow to provide expanded mental health supports for farmers facing the same drought conditions as their neighbours in South Australia and instead putting this government’s efforts into implementing a new surrogate land tax that is putting even more mental health pressure on farmers struggling through this drought?

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:29): I thank Ms Bath for that supplementary question, most of which falls outside of my direct portfolio of responsibilities, but it is disappointing because these are serious issues and we are very mindful of the mental health burden that our primary producers, people in regional Victoria battling all sorts of extreme weather conditions, are dealing with.

I have just gone through in some detail the services that are available, and that is just a snapshot of what we have been able to deliver in terms of the mental health system. I would again remind Ms Bath that we have opened free and confidential mental health and wellbeing locals right across the state – I will not soak up my 9 seconds that I have got left with renaming those locations – on top of additional investment in youth mental health supports. I invite the member to ask me if there is any other information I can provide outside of the standing orders.