MEMBER for Murray Plains Peter Walsh says additional mental health staff would improve mental health in the region.
He also said a tax to improve mental health in Victoria would put pressure on people trying to make ends meet.
The new tax was included in the interim report published by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
The recommendation stipulates “a new approach to mental health investment (a tax or levy), to ensure a substantial increase in funding for mental health — not just now but into the future”.
Mr Walsh said he was concerned about the tax proposal, citing the state government had overspent millions of dollars on major infrastructure projects in Melbourne.
“I just don’t believe the government needs to have a new tax, they just need to manage the money they currently have better,” Mr Walsh told The Guardian.
Mr Walsh said with the cost of living pressures, such as power increases, people couldn’t afford another tax.
He said in the Swan Hill region, a number of the recommendations could be implemented, including the addition of mental health staff.
“It’s about having enough staff that people don’t need to go on a waiting list,” he said.
“Because, if you’ve got mental health issues, you don’t want to sit on a waiting list for months. You need support now.”
“If you have to travel to Bendigo or Melbourne, that’s not appropriate for people with mental health issues.”
Mr Walsh said travelling outside of the region also removed the person with mental health issues from their family support, making it harder on the individual.
“I think everyone knows the system is broken, and particularly from a regional point of view, that there is not enough clinicians,” he said.
“If people have to travel to Bendigo for services when they’re not well, that’s just not appropriate.
“I think all the work to get a headspace in Swan Hill has definitely improved the services for young people, but we now need something for the people that are above the age of headspace (12-25).”
The interim report included a number of priority recommendations that addressed immediate needs and laid the foundations for a new approach to mental health.
Shadow Minister for Metal Health Emma Kealy said the report was a “sobering analysis” that Victoria’s mental health system was broken.
She said the report called for transformation changes to start immediately, noting “Victoria’s mental health system is not just compromised — it is afflicted by systemic failings”.
“It’s vital the Andrews Government starts work straightaway to fix a system which is letting people down when they are at their most vulnerable,” Ms Kealy said.
