Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

It is incredibly important that the government continues to support mental health and mental health services right across Australia, and that means out into regional and rural Australia as well and into my communities in western Victoria.

When we were in government, we were able to roll out headspaces in Colac, in Warrnambool, in Portland and in Hamilton. But there is one key community which is still missing services, and that is Ararat. I call on the federal government to make sure that, when they're rolling out more and more headspaces across the nation, they prioritise Ararat because the need is real, and Ararat needs a headspace service. At the last two federal elections, I committed to providing and funding a headspace in Ararat, and I call on the government to know and understand how important it is that a service be delivered into that community.

If the government need any advice, they should talk to two outstanding individuals in the local community in Ararat who have set up One Red Tree, and they are working with Federation University to provide services out into the community. Carly and Tammie, I commend you again for everything that you're doing to improve mental health services in Ararat, but you need help and support. I was pleased to see you recognised by the Victorian state government for your work, but you need help and support, especially through the delivery of a headspace centre for Ararat.

Once again, with this motion here in this chamber, I call on the federal government to listen to the Ararat community and make sure you provide those services. Carly and Tammie have been up here, along with the CEO of the Ararat hospital, to lobby for these services. The government has listened, but now it needs to act because, more and more, this is the missing link when it comes to the missing piece when it comes to mental health services in my electorate in western Victoria.

I'd also like to turn attention to what is happening to households across this nation when it comes to energy affordability and the pressure that that is putting on mental health, especially for the poorest in our community. Minister Bowen, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, released his climate risk assessment a few weeks ago, and that talked about the mental ill health that can accrue from climate change. But where the government has been silent has been on what is happening to mental ill health when it comes to energy affordability, and the energy poverty that we're starting to see across this nation because of the bungled, bungled way that the government is approaching the transition is second to none. We're seeing that time and time again through reports as to what is happening with regard to energy poverty in this nation.

I would say to the energy minister that he should read a recent report from the University of Adelaide, which gives facts and data as to the pressure that is being placed on people, as well as their mental health and mental wellbeing, with regard to what is happening to electricity prices—they've increased by 40 per cent—and gas prices, which have increased by over 40 per cent. This is placing enormous pressure on people, and I would say to the government: read that report out of the University of Adelaide because you need to start focusing on energy affordability. If you keep allowing your minister to be more focused on the United Nations than on delivering energy affordability here in this nation, you are going to continue to increase energy poverty in this nation, which is already growing. Not only that—it's going to have a greater impact on people's mental wellbeing and mental health. So you have to put energy affordability— (Time expired)

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