Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This question is to the Minister for Health. Minister, before the election, you announced $14.5 million funding for Albury Wodonga Health, comprising $12 million for a 20-bed mental health rehabilitation unit and $2.5 million for specialist outpatient services. This funding was meant to significantly boost mental health services urgently needed in my rural community, yet the minister's department has now said the first payment won't come until 2022 and the remainder is not in sight until 2025. This is too long to wait. Minister, will you follow through on your government's commitment to making mental health a key priority and immediately bring this funding forward?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Indi. This new mental health rehabilitation unit at Albury Wodonga hospital was developed in conjunction with the Albury Wodonga hospital, with the then CEO, and, very significantly, it was done as a part of an overall package to assist the people of Indi. We worked with the member's predecessor, and we also worked with Steve Martin, who was the candidate for Indi in our time, and the member for Farrer, who has played a very important role in the development. Services that we have supported—of which this is part of a broader package—include bringing forward a new headspace for Wangaratta; that headspace for Wangaratta includes $1½ million for establishment and operation, and related to that is the Grit and Resilience program, developed by the community for the community, with $1.2 million. That is part of a broader $46 million primary health network investment in mental health.

On top of that, we also developed, with the community, the $14½ million plan for the Albury Wodonga hospital. The timing and nature of that was established as part of a master plan being developed, and I'm happy to table the statement about the master plan, which was presented by the Albury Wodonga hospital at the time. This was developed with the hospital and by the hospital, on the timing that was discussed with the CEO—and that was only confirmed yesterday.

Most significantly, what that means is that there will be new facilities that are available to assist people with mental health challenges as they transition from hospital care to the community. Very importantly, it is part of a broader master plan that is being developed. I am aware that part of the challenge here is that, whilst we are delivering on exactly the time frame that was part of the master plan, the state may not be able to deliver, and therefore, as a consequence, their new CEO is under pressure to renegotiate that which was agreed. I will, accordingly, be writing to the Victorian Minister for Health to seek an assurance that the Victorian government will deliver their part of the master plan—which they have yet to complete—on time, in full, which will then allow us to deliver, on time, in full. If they are able to bring forward their plans, then we will be able to bring forward the plans. They are currently on track, however, to delay their plans. But we will continue, on exactly the time frame we agreed, to deliver better health services for the people of Albury Wodonga and the broader Indi region.