Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm proud to rise in this House to promote a special facility coming to my electorate of Higgins: a residential eating disorder treatment centre in Armidale. This government committed $13 million towards building this facility at the last election, and we're getting on with delivering it for the people of Higgins and, indeed, Victoria. One million Australians are thought to suffer from some form of eating disorder. Whether there's excessive restriction of food, binging or purging, these behaviours can be deadly if not treated appropriately. My local health providers tell me that referrals for eating disorders have doubled in the last 12 months because of the rolling lockdowns in Victoria and the global pandemic. Our government has committed to establishing facilities such as this to provide specialised acute care not only in Higgins but Australia-wide. As someone whose family has been touched by mental health struggles, including eating disorders, I know how difficult it can be for sufferers and families to locate the appropriate services to care for and treat their loved ones. Eating disorders do not disappear overnight. Prolonged care is often necessary, and these kinds of centres offer a reprieve for families and a haven for sufferers. I thank the minister for health and this government for supporting this important initiative and I look forward to seeing this opening in our community very soon.