Tuesday, 9 December 2025

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (22:35): (2240) My matter tonight is for the Minister for Mental Health, Minister Stitt. A recent review of the Victorian mental health system has revealed alarming concerns that the $6 billion invested since 2018 and the mental health levy introduced in 2021 are failing to deliver the intended outcomes. Nine out of 10 service providers say the system cannot meet current demand, so the action I seek is for the minister to urgently review the implementation of the royal commission’s recommendations and adapt reforms to meet the escalating mental health crisis in Victoria.

With half of Victorians needing help waiting more than a month for an appointment and often paying over $100 out of pocket, this is not just a funding issue, it is a systematic failure. Emergency department presentations for mental ill health have risen by almost a third over the past decade. Children and adolescents seeking services have surged 41 per cent since the pandemic, and suicide in Victoria has climbed 7 per cent, even as other states report a decline. These figures paint a grim picture of the system buckling under pressure.

Experts warned that rigidly following the 65 recommendations from the 2021 royal commission without adapting to post-COVID reality risked leaving thousands behind. Social isolation, family violence, financial stress and homelessness are all increasing, driving this tsunami of psychiatric ill health. Eating disorders and school refusal are rising, early signs of long-term impacts that demand early and urgent intervention. Mental Health Victoria CEO Phillipa Thomas has called for a rethink, using real-time data to adjust reform, prioritising early intervention and developing crisis assessment teams in every health service. These are practical steps that could save lives and restore confidence in our system, which is failing those who need it most.

I call on the minister to act now. Victoria cannot afford a mental health system that looks good on paper but fails in practice. We need reform that responds to today’s challenges, not yesterday’s assumptions. Our young people, families and communities deserve better than delays and disappointment. They deserve a system that works.