Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Bowman just had three minutes to talk about his constituents and he spent three minutes talking about himself. How very on-brand for the member for Bowman. I'd like to give voice to a young woman from my electorate and her vision for Australia in 20 years' time. Brighton teenager, May Johnson, writes: 'My first experience in Australia's mental health system was at 12 when I went to see a psychiatrist for the first time. At 13 I was officially diagnosed with depression and anxiety. At 15 I went on my first medication for my insomnia. At 16 I was officially diagnosed with an eating disorder and at 17 I stayed in the paediatric intensive care unit after my first suicide attempt. My state still does not have a psychology ward for young people. Now aged 19, I reflect on my time within Australia's mental health system and I can't understand how our politicians argue that only now they realise it's broken. The shadow pandemic is not something new only discovered under COVID; it is something I and many young Australians have dealt with nearly our whole lives. In 20 years, I hope politicians will have stopped using my mind as a political battleground. Instead, I want politicians to deliver the following: comprehensive funding towards psychologists, accessible mental health care, preventative mental health care, awareness around medication and improved infrastructure. This would help those having mental health problems, all of which would make a happier and healthier Australia.' I thank May for her contribution and I fully endorse her words.

I want to now speak on the COVID-positive man who entered Tasmania from the mainland without approval, who escaped hotel quarantine and who sparked a three-day lockdown in the south of the state.

I am angry with this man and Tasmanians are angry, and rightly so. He has been fined $3,000 and the Premier wants police to consider charging him with offences that carry steeper penalties, and that's a call which most of us would support. But Tasmanians are also asking why the system failed so badly. How did this man leave quarantine undetected for so many hours? Where were the guards, where were the cameras? I understand a guard was changing his PPE when the man left. This indicates that the guard did not have someone available to stand at his post.

These matters require full investigation and transparency; the premier must not default to secrecy. As our borders prepare to open, Tasmanians deserve confidence in COVID security measures for our state. Thank you.

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