Tuesday, 12 May 2026

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Government Services, Special Minister of State, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria) (12:33): I rise to talk to the house about the incredibly important role that the Mental Health Tribunal plays in protecting the rights and dignity of people with mental illness. The role of the tribunal is to decide whether patients need compulsory mental health treatment and to identify the least restrictive way people can receive the treatment that they need. I would like to acknowledge the staff and members of the tribunal and the extremely important role that they play in the wider mental health system.

The commencement of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 in September 2023 brought important reforms to provide for more frequent oversight by the tribunal when it comes to community treatment orders. This reform promotes voluntary treatment in preference to compulsory treatment wherever possible and requires that mental health and wellbeing care is provided with the least possible restriction of people’s rights, dignity and autonomy. Following legislation being passed last year – which I do note was broadly supported in the chamber, including by those opposite – the Mental Health Tribunal will take on the functions of the Forensic Leave Panel later this year. That is why we have invested $3.5 million in the 2026–27 budget to support operations of the Mental Health Tribunal. So I was quite shocked to see that Jess Wilson plans cuts to the Mental Health Tribunal, which would only seek to limit the tribunal’s ability to protect the rights and dignity of people with mental illness and fulfil its statutory obligations. It is on the hit list. This follows last year’s policy proposal from the Victorian Young Liberals to reopen and mandate mental health asylums. Only the Allan Labor government can be trusted to support the critical work of the Mental Health Tribunal and protect the human rights and dignity of people accessing our mental health system here in Victoria.