Wednesday, 29 October 2025

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (18:27): (2047) My matter is for the Minister for Mental Health in relation to staffing cuts at a mental health hospital. The action I seek is for the minister to intervene and immediately halt the proposed staffing cuts to Thomas Embling Hospital and ensure that the safety of both patients and staff is prioritised over budget savings. Thomas Embling Hospital is Victoria’s only mental health facility for prisoners, housing some of the state’s most vulnerable and high-risk psychiatric patients. Yet despite an increasing demand and expanding capacity, the Allan Labor government is slashing critical specialist roles. This includes the planned removal of drug specialist nurses. Even Forensicare, which runs the hospital, admits there are security issues with illicit substances being circulated within the facilities. An internal email confirms drugs were present on campus as recently as September, prompting an emergency security measure. This followed July’s incident, when a patient under the influence of drugs set fire to his room. Still the government plans to cut staff and specialist skills.

These are not isolated incidents. There are reports of patients returning from day release high on ice, attacking staff and breaching conditions. One patient even went missing for two days, yet instead of strengthening support, the government is cutting registered drugs and alcohol specialists, autism nurses and occupational therapists. Occupational violence claims have nearly doubled in the last three years, and injuries requiring time off have tripled. Staff are stretched thin. The hospital is failing to meet its own benchmarks. Only 12 per cent of the male security patients are admitted within the target timeframe, and the average time to wait for a bed is over 370 days.

I call for the minister to reverse this ridiculous cut and prioritise the safety of both patients and staff. Thomas Embling Hospital is not just a facility but a lifeline for some of Victoria’s most vulnerable individuals. Undermining its workforce in the name of savings is not just shortsighted but reckless and dangerous. If the government is serious about delivering on the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, then it must start protecting the very people who deliver the care, because when safety is sacrificed for savings, it is not just the workforce that suffers but the entire Victorian community.