Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The sad reality is that one in five Australians have delayed or avoided seeing a mental health professional due to cost. The national mental health report card released in July paints a bleak picture of mental health in this country. The latest National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing shows that in 2020-22, an estimated 4.3 million people aged 16 to 85 had experienced a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months. The prevalence of mental health conditions increased in young people aged 16 to 24 from 25.8 per cent in 2006 to 38.8 per cent in 2022. Signs of financial distress are elevated, rising from 17.1 per cent in 2020 to 34.6 per cent in 2024. While more people are seeking treatment than they used to, treatment rates are still well below current targets. Clinical outcomes from public mental health services are not improving, nor are outcomes for those discharged from psychiatric care.

Mental ill health has a real impact on individuals, families and communities but also on our nation. The Productivity Commission showed that the direct economic cost of mental ill health and suicide in Australia is estimated at $43 billion to $70 billion a year in expenditure and lower economic productivity. Mental health reform is critically important to our nation's social and economic success, but unfortunately it seems to have been forgotten by this government.

In my community, the government has completely abandoned mental health supports, particularly for our youth. The former Liberal government funded the Lilydale Youth Hub, a local service that provided mental health and social support for young people right across Casey. Upon coming to government Labor has failed to fund the hub, causing it to close down. This is a gap in service that has not been filled in my community. While local headspace offices in Lilydale and Knox provide amazing support to young people, they are at capacity.

On top of this, the government cut the number of Medicare subsidised mental health sessions Australians can access from 20 sessions to just 10. They halved supports when Australians needed them the most. You will hear this government talk a lot about Medicare, but they don't talk about the mental health supports that were cut under their watch. They cut this funding for mental health support despite a report by the University of Melbourne that found that 20 sessions should stay. Page 328 of the University of Melbourne's main report of the evaluation of the Better Access initiative says:

On balance, the evidence from the evaluation suggests that the additional 10 sessions should continue to be made available …

Ten to 20 is significant. Ten sessions gives you roughly an appointment every five to six weeks. Twenty sessions gives you that every two to three weeks as you need that support. What this government is saying is that your credit card and your bank balance will determine the mental health support you get in Australia.

Every time the Prime Minister stands up with his little stunt of holding a Medicare card, it is a slap in the face to every Australian that needs mental health support. It is a slap in the face, because they halved those sessions. If you were going to stand up as the Prime Minister and claim credit with your card—which isn't even true. Everyone knows you need more than your Medicare card; you need your credit card as well. He'll claim credit for that while he cuts sessions for mental health support. What hypocrisy! At a time as I have gone through and when so many Australians are struggling—coming out of COVID, coming out of lockdowns and experiencing financial stress.

The Prime Minister says 'no-one left behind', but he has left behind every Australian that doesn't have the bank balance to afford the mental health support that they need. It is rank hypocrisy from this prime minister, who is happy to stand up and take credit, but won't take responsibility when he cuts such a needed service for the Australian people. Those opposite don't like to talk about that, but they are the facts. This prime minister cut it when the Australian people needed it.

I recently had a young man walk into my electorate office. He wanted advice on where he could find support. He was in his mid-20s. He was too old to be seen by the local Headspace services, but was unable to access support elsewhere. Local services are at capacity and waitlists to see a psychologist are lengthy. Unfortunately mental ill-health is often exacerbated because locals can't find support. This would be a similar story across the nation. Last week I received an email from Emily from Healesville. She said:

Waiting times to see psychologists are too long and people need to be able to see a professional whenever it is needed to support their journey.

Many people can't afford to pay their bills and meet their mortgage repayments let alone find $200 for a psychology appointment. Mental health appointments are the first cost saving in many budgets. But, ironically, good mental health is what people need in order to deal with these difficult times. The Labor government, as I have said, have cut the number of Medicare funded mental health sessions Australians can access from 20 to 10, and it's no wonder Australians are doing it tough and mental illnesses are soaring. We're seeing statistics increase but nothing changes.

Enough is enough. It's time for the government to take mental health reform seriously and ensure Australians have the ability to improve their wellbeing and their work, study and contribution to society to the full extent of their passion and potential. When the individual is strong, the family is strong and then the community is strong, and, when we have strong communities all across the nation, we have a strong country. But, when it comes to mental health support in this country, the facts are the facts and they can't be denied. This prime minister has let down the Australian people.

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