Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to draw the parliament's attention to the looming mental health crisis facing Australians in the wake of COVID-19. Experts have warned of deep and lasting mental health consequences of the pandemic for millions of Australians. Indeed, Lifeline is already experiencing a 25 per cent hike in calls compared to last year, and Australians are reporting feeling far more anxious and uncertain about the future. Distressingly, one study found that more than three-quarters of Australians reported a worsening in their mental health during the first period of the COVID-19 crisis.

The issue was driven home for me recently when I received a letter from my constituent Ms Emma Warren. Ms Warren wrote to share her experience of mental illness during the pandemic and urged me to call on the government to raise the number of subsidised psychology sessions available for Australians under Medicare. In her powerful letter, Ms Warren wrote, 'As you are no doubt aware, Lifeline, beyondblue, Kids Helpline and all mental health support services are reporting a dramatic increase in people seeking assistance during this pandemic. I myself had weekly Skype sessions with my counsellor in July, as I was suicidal, and the isolation enforced by the pandemic absolutely played a role in my downward spiral. Yesterday, I reached the limit, 10, of subsidised appointments per calendar year with my counsellor, and it's only August. There is enhanced primary care'—which she already accesses as a chronically ill person—'but this is not available to everyone. I'm asking, indeed begging, for your help to call on the Morrison government to implement a special raising of the 10-session cap in the mental health care plan in response to the unprecedented mental health challenges this pandemic has brought.'

I'd like to thank Ms Warren for reaching out and commend her for her courage in sharing her story and advocating for others in the same situation. Ms Warren is not alone in having exhausted her allocated care sessions. Indeed, recent reports suggested that one in four Australians on a mental health plan have already reached their cap. Today, I plead with the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health to increase the number of subsidised care sessions for all Australians. I applaud the government's decision to double the cap for patients in Victoria, but mental health impacts, in the tragic times we are living through, aren't restricted to just people in lockdown. Every Australian who's affected by this crisis should be able to access the mental health support they need. It shouldn't be a matter of what you can afford or where you live.