Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to talk about something that's hitting Tasmanians hard: the state of crisis in mental health support and the way it's being left to fall apart while governments argue about who's meant to fix it. In Tasmania, we came within a whisker of losing the Hobart Clinic, the service that people rely on when things are at their absolute worst. The federal government sat on its hands, and it was the state government that had to step in at the last minute to keep the doors open. That's not good enough. You can't just leave desperate people waiting while governments play pass the parcel over who's responsible. We know of families who have had to drive hours from the north-west coast because there was nowhere local to go when someone hit rock bottom. I've talked to care centre workers who are stretched to breaking point because there's no backup, no beds and nowhere to send people in crisis. And I'll tell you this: the system is only holding together because of the amazing people who keep showing up to help others, even when they're running on empty. But they shouldn't have to do it alone.

If a state government can find the money and the will to rescue a vital mental health centre, then the federal government should be right there beside them, not watching from the sidelines. We need to step up; fund crisis support properly, especially in rural areas where people are at significant risk; and make sure that, when someone reaches out for help, there's actually someone there to answer. It's tiring to see the separation and handballing of state and federal issues. This isn't about politics; it's about people. It's about supporting those who need it most when they need it most, and Tasmanians deserve better than silence.