Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health) Share this | Hansard source

Tasmania's health crisis, sadly, continues. It continues because of the cuts from the federal Liberal government and the state Liberal government. Today there are reports, sadly, about mental health patients. There are at least six mental health patients currently inside the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department waiting for beds on the psychiatric ward. Indeed, some of them have been there for 117 hours, 91 hours, 61 hours, 50 hours, 40 hours and 35 hours. One unwell person was told on Saturday that she was too unwell to go home, and here we are on Wednesday and there is still no bed for her.

It is only the state Labor Party that has said it will fund more psychiatric beds at the Royal Hobart Hospital. We know that Tasmanians who need support and are currently in crisis need those beds. It's only state Labor that will build them and staff them. State Labor has made a commitment to fund the staffing and have more psychiatric beds because, of course, Tasmania does not have the recommended number of psychiatric beds per 1,000 people. We're the only state that doesn't. The only way people are going to get any assistance is if they vote Labor this Saturday.

We've also got ambulances ramping at the Royal Hobart Hospital—and this is a photo taken last night. There are six ambulances ramped there with patients in them waiting to get into our hospitals. It's not good enough.

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