Wednesday, 26 August 2026

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:36): (1443) My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, the tragic revelations of two suspected youth suicide clusters involving 10 young people in Melbourne’s east are heartbreaking for all touched by these deaths. Your government has a dedicated suicide prevention and response office responsible for identifying and responding to emerging suicide clusters. How many other suspected youth suicide clusters are currently known or being investigated by your government across Victoria?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Special Minister of State) (12:37): I have some difficulty with the way in which Ms Crozier has framed this question because it makes a number of assumptions about these tragic matters. As I indicated in the chamber yesterday, these are matters that are currently with the coroner, and I will not comment on the individual circumstances. I will reiterate for those opposite the caution I made yesterday: it is not for any one of us in this place to attribute causes or factors to these matters. It is a matter for the coroner, and they are investigating these matters.

In relation to the issue of suicide, again, you cannot generalise about these matters, and we have to take a cautious approach when looking at the data, which of course the coroner verifies regularly and provides updates on through their review processes. Our government will continue to focus strongly on how we can prevent suicide in our community. It is what much of the effort that we have made since the royal commission has been about, and we have invested in programs at the grassroots level. Of course we have strong programs in place across our public mental health services around zero-suicide frameworks, and we have the office embedded within the health department.

One of the issues that I want to highlight as being an incredibly important program that has been delivered as a result of the evidence that was heard at the royal commission is the HOPE program, which is the follow-up program that many of our major hospitals deliver across the community post suicide attempts. These are of course always difficult issues to confront. I do again want to offer my sincere condolences to those families and loved ones of these young people. But the matters are before the coroner, and that is the right course of action.

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (12:39): Minister, these are serious issues – very serious. No-one is taking it lightly, and they are very concerning for many, many people. I ask: given two suspected clusters involving 10 young people have now been identified in just one part of Melbourne and that yesterday you refused to establish an urgent independent inquiry into whether systemic failures in Victoria’s child and youth mental health system are leaving vulnerable young people without the care they need, why isn’t the government doing more for these vulnerable young Victorians who are so at risk?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Special Minister of State) (12:40): Again, Ms Crozier, you are repeating the assertion and you have no grounds to make those assertions.

Georgie Crozier: It is in the public domain that they are clusters.

Ingrid STITT: What is in the public domain is a matter that is currently before the coroner. I would again caution you not to make assumptions about these matters. It is really, frankly, inappropriate for you to do so. The other thing the opposition do not seem to appreciate is that how you speak about these things in the community can have a real, harmful impact. So I really urge you to educate yourselves about the way in which you talk about these matters and resist the temptation to make political points about these tragedies.