Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on this important motion. Mental health is one of the defining challenges of our time. It reaches into every home, every school and every workplace, and it is something that government simply cannot afford to get wrong. We all know someone who has been or is struggling. It's the young person who can't get the right support at school, the parent quietly carrying a heavy burden or the colleague who suffers in silence.

Our country is facing a mental health epidemic. According to the ABS, around one in five Australians experience a mental or behavioural condition each year. Rates of psychological distress have never been higher, and yet access to help has never been harder. Despite billions in federal investment, outcomes are going backwards. Children are waiting months for appointments, and families are being pushed to breaking point. Communities are crying out for help, but under this Labor government the system is going in reverse.

The system under Labor is completely backwards. We saw it when Labor cut Medicare subsidised psychology sessions in half, a lifeline that thousands of Australians relied upon. They took away something that was working, leaving vulnerable families to fend for themselves. In my own electorate of McPherson, the need is undeniable. Nearly eight per cent of locals live with a long-term mental health condition and more than one in five report a mental or behavioural disorder. Behind each statistic is a person, a family or a community trying to hold it together.

Deputy Speaker Small, as you will well and truly know, in this role we have the opportunity to meet with people from across our community, to hear their stories, to understand their experiences and then, ultimately, to represent them here in this place. Soon after I was elected as the federal member for McPherson, I met with a local family from Palm Beach who spoke to me about the fact that they will never forget the day that their world fell apart. A father who had been battling depression attempted to take his own life. He survived, but the impact on his wife and his children was immense, and that remains to be the case. When he was released from hospital, he wanted to rebuild, he wanted routine, he wanted connection and he wanted a sense of purpose. He tried to find a part-time job, something small to get him back on track. But, under Labor's welfare system, the moment he earned a few dollars, support was cut off entirely.

It is what we mean when we say Labor policies are backwards. We know that work, routine and social connection are some of the best ways to support recovery and mental wellbeing, yet Labor's system punishes people who try to do the right thing. It traps them into dependence rather than helping them move forward. Why would this Labor government design a system that disincentivises Australians from beginning their journey to easing back into working, contributing and reconnecting? Why don't they trust Australians to make their own choices about gradually transitioning back into work and community life? If they had their own way, no-one who'd been disadvantaged would ever get a fair go at getting back on their feet.

I'm reminded of another one of my constituents, a single mother whose daughter had been dealing with mental health challenges for some time. When Labor halved the Medicare subsidised psychology sessions, it left her in an impossible position. She simply cannot afford the extra cost, and so her daughter goes without. Australians deserve better. They deserve a system that meets them where they are with compassion, flexibility and trust. And it would be remiss of me not to mention the fact that this mother spoke to me about the difficulties that her daughter has accessing mental health support services because of the unique situation they are in, where her father attempted to commit suicide and, thankfully, was unsuccessful. Because of that, this person was unable to access support that was needed. Australians, as I said, deserve better. But, under Labor, their services are cut and support is scarce, and those who are struggling are left out to dry.

We're seeing psychologists, counsellors, nurses and GPs all burning out. Clinics are understaffed, and families are falling through the cracks. I would, however, like to take this opportunity to thank the many people in my community of McPherson, on the southern Gold Coast, who are involved with the provision of mental health services for young people—for people of all ages and people of all backgrounds. They do incredible work keeping our communities' mental health where it should be and encouraging it to go in the right direction.

I also point out, in particular, the fact that the mental health record for men in this country is shocking. Men are three times more likely to die by suicide than females. And they, unfortunately, make up three-quarters of all suicides. The previous speaker on this subject, the member for Spence, mentioned everything the government should do, all of the responsibilities of government in relation to mental health and in relation to health more broadly. What I would say to that member is that the member forms part of the government. There is an opportunity here for the government to do something about this.

We went to the last election committed to restoring the 20 subsidised places for mental health support sessions. That is something that was very well-received in McPherson. Why was it well-received? It was well-received because people on the ground, the everyday men and women that I've had the opportunity to speak to and that I have the privilege of representing in this place, understand that this is a serious issue at the moment—not just in McPherson but across the country. The schools that I go into—with the rise of social media, we're seeing instances of very young people being affected by what they're seeing online, by the way they're being treated online, and that is transitioning into broader mental health issues for them.

Something needs to be done. If there's one thing I know, from my engagement in my community, it's that what is happening in this building with this government is unacceptable. We need to step up and the government needs to step up and provide where there is a need. Right now, there is a need for better funding for mental health support services in Australia.

As I have mentioned, mental health needs to be a national priority. The test of a government's commitment is not the number of their empty promises, it's whether, in a moment of crisis, an Australian can get the support they need. When I was elected to this place I committed, in my maiden speech, to giving a voice to the people of the southern Gold Coast when they needed it. That moment is now. People in McPherson, people across the Gold Coast and people across Australia know well and truly that mental health is something that needs to be prioritised by this government. We, on the coalition side, will continue to make a noise, we will continue to represent our communities about this need for as long as this need remains. Right now far too many people cannot access the services that they need. That is the measure that matters, and on that measure this government, the federal Albanese Labor government, is failing.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19 : 28

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