Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the House on how the Morrison government is supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Australians during the coronavirus pandemic?

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

I thank the member for Robertson and all members of this House who are deeply aware of the mental health impact, on top of the health and economic impacts, of this pandemic on Australians—whether it is in New South Wales or South Australia or Queensland, or in any state or territory, but most particularly in Victoria. We have a state with curfews; we have families—in many cases, single parents with small children, in small flats—being locked down for, effectively, 23 hours a day; we have businesses that have been closed, forcibly; we have the mandatory wearing of masks; we have a five-kilometre movement limit. These are restrictions on people's liberties and lifestyles that are beyond the comprehension of any of us, beyond what any of us could have imagined in a free democratic society like Australia.

Given all of those elements, as part of our pandemic mental health plan we've taken three significant steps nationally and three significant steps for Victoria. Recognising that we instituted telehealth as a fundamental reform, a 10-year-plan delivered in 10 days, as part of that there are now over 26½ million services, a vast number of which have been for mental health—and, in particular, for specific mental health items—and we've seen 35 per cent of all mental health items since 16 March and since the expansion on 30 March delivered over telehealth. That's part of a $1.1 billion package. We've delivered support services. In particular, we announced $74 million with a focus on Beyond Blue, Lifeline, Kids Helpline, headspace and the Digital Health Agency. The pandemic response plan included $48 million and a further $20 million for research, with a particular focus of $19 million for older Australians, building on the $87 million we had for those older Australians with mental health challenges who are in residential care.

In Victoria, where those restrictions beyond what any of us could ever have imagined in this country, on our watch, in our time, are in place right now—and yesterday's news has been confronting for so many Victorians, in terms of the 12-month extension—we've doubled funding for the Better Access plan. In youth support, there's $12 million for service surge capacity to Victorians, including $5 million for headspace, with a particular focus on years 11 and 12; and 15 mental health clinics—nine in metropolitan areas and six in rural areas. These are actions on top of what we're doing in Health to help save lives and protect lives and that I hope command the support of every member of this House.