Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the motion moved by my friend and colleague the member for Dobell, and I thank her for bringing it before the House today. I'd also like to commend her for her many years working as a pharmacist supporting people with mental illness. I have remarked before that the COVID-19 crisis is the greatest health challenge for many medical generations. It is the greatest health crisis that I've witnessed, and for many health practitioners long before my time.

It's true that Australia has fared fairly well, and, relative to some of our friends in other countries, we've done remarkably well, but we must remain vigilant. Our response has been well coordinated by respective health departments, frontline medical staff, politicians, bureaucrats et cetera, and I wish to place on record my gratitude to the many individuals who have contributed so much to our response. However, the real heroes of our COVID-19 response have been the ordinary Australians, the people who have done the right thing, the people who have isolated themselves where necessary, the people who have kept their kids home from school, the people who have responded to the health recommendations about hygiene and hand hygiene, the people who have worked from home, the people who have put up with the stress of this incredibly difficult situation. The everyday Australians are the real heroes of this crisis.

Our successes of course ought to be celebrated and learned from, but we must not get complacent in our resolve. I fear that society will fail to comprehend the significance of the health crisis that we are still facing, and one of the areas that need ongoing attention is mental health. JK Galbraith, the famous North American economist, called the late 20th century the age of uncertainty. I think that if he were alive today he'd be calling our time the age of even greater uncertainty. We have before us a health crisis that has caused, in many ways, an economic crisis all around the world, and none of us can predict the future. This anxiety and uncertainty are contributing to some of the quite severe mental health issues we're seeing around the country and around the world. The member for Dobell is right to note that the COVID-19 pandemic will have significant effects upon the mental health of all Australians. All of us feel some degree of anxiety—that's true—and we face times of great uncertainty. The added pressures that individuals and households face can significantly impact upon a person's mental health and wellbeing.

I'm very worried not only about the effects of the health crisis but about the economic effects on young people and children—young people who may be starting out in married life and raising families. This anxiety is contributing to the difficulties they face. We must be mindful also of the added financial strains that are facing many Australians as we navigate through such difficult health and economic conditions. These pressures and this uncertainty are being felt in households right across the nation and across the world, and their impact cannot be underestimated. We also cannot underestimate the effects on mental health of issues related to this crisis such as the effects on housing and education. I know many university students are finding it incredibly difficult to continue their courses working from home. I know that many families who were already under housing stress, either because of rents or because of mortgages, are under added stress as they have reduced incomes because of this crisis.

My community of Macarthur has unemployment and underemployment rates well above the national average and has the highest number of mortgage defaults per electorate in the country. We know all too well the negative effects that such financial insecurity and housing insecurity can have upon individuals, families and the greater community. Also, a person's financial position should not affect the quality of care that they can access, and we know that many people who are financially disadvantaged are finding it very difficult to access mental health care. There is a direct correlation between the state of people's mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need a comprehensive approach to managing this.

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