Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Ministers statements: mental health services

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:39): Further to the topics that we have been talking about today, I do believe that Victorians deserve a world-class mental health system, and the royal commission set out a very clear path of reform to rebuild our mental health system from the ground up. Today I would like to give a bit of an update on some of the great work that we have been delivering right across the community so that Victorians can get the mental health care that they need when they need it. We have supported more than 11,000 people across 15 new mental health and wellbeing locals; we have delivered Australia’s first public specialist women’s mental health service; we have delivered Victoria’s first child and family residential mental health centre; we have delivered three new children’s health and wellbeing locals in partnership with the Commonwealth; we have delivered eight family-led mental health and wellbeing connect centres; we have delivered 179 new mental health beds, including Hospital in the Home; we have established the new statewide trauma service, Transforming Trauma Victoria; we have commenced work to double the capacity of Victoria’s youth prevention and recovery centres network, with five new centres and upgrades to three existing centres; we have delivered the North West Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care Centre; we have delivered on a key recommendation for a statewide suicide prevention and recovery strategy; we have invested $1.2 million to co-design two Aboriginal healing centres, with work being led by the Balit Durn Durn Centre; we have funded VACCHO to undertake co-design for a culturally appropriate family-orientated service model for infants and children; and this is in addition to a huge program of capital works and grant rounds to improve community and inpatient mental health services right across the state. I am proud to be part of a government – (Time expired)