Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I bet a lot of people wouldn't know that we could make access to mental health care free and unlimited. It's true, and it would cost a hell of a lot less than a fleet of nuclear submarines to do it. You'd expect that, in a wealthy country like Australia, everyone could access the mental health support that they need, but that's not the case. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, almost one in four people have put off getting help because they can't afford it.

But, right as rents, interest rates and grocery prices skyrocketed and the pressure on people intensified, what did the Labor government do? They cut access to Medicare-subsidised psychologist sessions from 20 to 10. Suicide Prevention Australia warned that the changes would prevent people seeking help, and they were right. The following year, almost a quarter of a million fewer appointments were accessed by people who needed them.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Here's how we fix it. First, we scrap Labor's cap, and we make it unlimited under Medicare, as it should be. There's no one-size-fits-all limit approach with mental health. Everyone should be able to get the help that they need. If we're given antibiotics, we don't take a quarter of the dose; we finish the prescription. And why would we treat mental health care any differently? Next, we build a thousand new free clinics across the country, so that you can see a psychologist for free. Your bank balance should never be a barrier to getting the help that you need.

Do you know how much we'd raise if we taxed the coal, gas and mining corporations and the profits—the excess profits—of big corporations? Five hundred and fourteen billion dollars. It would cost $42 billion to make Medicare-subsidised psychology appointments unlimited and to build a thousand free clinics across the country. So don't let anyone try to convince you that a better system isn't possible. It is. And, if we take on the big corporations, you won't have to put a price on your mental health.

If you saw the images of hundreds of cars stacked up on top of each other like Matchbox toys on the streets of Valencia, you know what the climate crisis looks like. There was a year's worth of rain in just over four hours, with over 200 dead across Spain—a disaster movie come to life.

How many times will we describe climate catastrophes as 'the storm of the century' before we start naming them after the companies fuelling them: Exxon, Chevron, Woodside and Santos? How many more coal and gas mines will Labor open after already approving 28 new coal and gas projects since taking office? Pollution is now higher under this Prime Minister than it was under Scott Morrison, when science, the United Nations and the Pacific islands are all demanding that they stop opening new coal and gas mines. How many millions in donations will the major parties take from coal and gas corporations to do their bidding?

So much depends on the choices that we make right now. This election, turn fear into action. Turn the tide on the political gridlock on climate action and the vested interests fuelling it. Vote for action. Vote for the Greens. (Time expired)

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