Mental health workforce
Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:08): (798) My question today is to the Minister for Mental Health. Minister, as you would know, Victorian mental health workers are today taking protected industrial action after negotiations over their enterprise bargaining agreement have stalled. These workers, as I am sure you will agree, deserve good pay and decent conditions. They are the ones on the front line supporting people while wrangling a broken and underfunded system. It is tough out there right now, and they are holding on for dear life. The Victorian government needs to come to the table with an offer that combats acute and persistent wage inequality, unworkable conditions and dangerous understaffing and provides interventions to reduce the severe escalation of occupational violence and aggression. Minister, will you step in to resolve these stalled EBA negotiations?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:09): I thank the member for his question. I will say that there were quite a few inaccuracies in his preamble. I have been speaking for months and months now about the critical role that our mental health workforce play in delivering the care that Victorians need, and you will never hear a bad word out of my mouth about the workers in the mental health sector. They do incredibly challenging work and they have my full support. We have as a government invested over $600 million in the mental health workforce since the royal commission’s report was handed down, and we have increased the mental health workforce by 25 per cent – that is over 2500 roles that were commissioned between 2021 and 2024. That is a record uplift in the number of workers in this sector, so I would take issue with the member’s preamble about the workforce. That is not to say that it is not incredibly challenging, working in particularly our acute mental health services. But when it comes to bargaining, we will continue to bargain in good faith through the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association with the industrial parties HACSU and the ANMF, and those negotiations are ongoing.
There was an offer made in December. That offer has been rejected by the industrial parties, as is their right, and we will continue to bargain in good faith. But let us not make any mistake here: our government will continue to back our mental health workforce, we will continue to invest in attraction and retention, and we understand on this side of the house how important it is to recognise the skills that they bring. I would point you to other bargaining outcomes across the health sector as evidence of that, including the nurses agreement.
Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (12:11): Thank you, Minister, for that response. From my perspective, that sounded like a refusal to answer whether you would personally step in, given that those negotiations have stalled. That is why there is a protected action taking place today. The Health and Community Services Union has been negotiating a new enterprise agreement for seven months. All their claims are structured around the recommendations of the royal commission to ensure the reform makes meaningful change. We cannot keep leaving these workers hanging. Mental health workers are receiving less pay and allowances and worse conditions compared to the general medical and allied health workforce. What will it take for you to step in personally and support mental health workers to get a good deal?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:12): Again, I completely reject the premise of that supplementary question. The government will continue to negotiate in good faith with unions who represent the mental health workforce. I meet with those unions regularly, as I meet with other representatives and peak bodies right across the sector. My department is closely involved in that bargaining, and they will continue to be so. I expect that all of the parties will continue to negotiate in good faith until we reach a conclusion and until we reach a position where all parties are in agreement.