Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the importance of mental health in my community on the Central Coast. It's a deeply personal and important issue that affects all of us. We've all been impacted by stories, whether it's been people we know in our community, perhaps people in our own social circle, our own network. I've had that experience, and also much closer to home. It really is an issue that impacts all of us, regardless of the region in which we live, but I want to place the spotlight tonight on my region of the Central Coast.

It's estimated that one in seven Australians will experience depression in their life and one in four will experience an anxiety condition. While statistics show that around half of all people with a mental health condition are now seeking treatment, we've still got a way to go to ensure that we address stigma and encourage those affected to get help. The tragedy of suicide is far too common. According to data from HealthStats NSW, the overall rate of suicide on the Central Coast is higher than across New South Wales. ABS statistics indicate that suicide accounts for over one-third of deaths of 18- to 25-year-olds. We should pause for a moment and think about the impact that that has on our younger generation, our next generation who should be the leaders of tomorrow. I've heard too many stories of families and communities, men and women, young people and our seniors, who have been impacted by this. Too many of our local high schools have been touched by this issue, with students devastated by the loss of their peers and grappling with tough questions about their own mental health. Too many of our local veterans have struggled silently after serving our nation.

These are significant challenges for our community, but there are so many hardworking organisations and primary healthcare providers that do an incredible job in this space. In my local electorate they include the Central Coast Local Health District, the Brisbane Waters Local Area Command, Central Coast Primary Care, Lifeline, headspace, Suicide Prevention Central Coast and many more. In the past year I convened a mental health roundtable with representatives from a number of these groups. One of the key messages that came out of the committee's meeting was that there is a lack of coordination of services aimed at preventing suicide across our region, although all of the services do an incredibly important job and are very committed to the work that they do. The committee identified that the most significant factors influencing suicide rates on the Central Coast include a lack of men's mental health support, relationship breakdowns, long commuting times and poor engagement with support services. In response, the committee has discussed the need for some community based models to sit alongside existing intervention and preventive services, to seek to increase community participation on mental health issues and to boost social connectedness for all.

I've heard from a number of members of the committee, including Naomi Sirio, a mental health educator and trainer in our region. She said mental health was a particularly important issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, with her practice seeing a hundred-per cent increase in demand over the last 12 months. She said she sees locals struggling daily and we have to pay particular attention to the increases in domestic and family violence and the flow-on effect on the mental health of children, individuals and our community.

Dom Brook, from Musicians Making a Difference, said that mental health is an issue that we need to tackle head on as a community and that the committee's suggestions would help empower and connect Central Coast organisations on the front line for the benefit of young people across our region. I do want to thank Dom and all the other committee members for their important work on this issue.

I'm proud to be part of a government that has been taking strong action on this issue. I want to commend the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health and Aged Care for their leadership and for the measures they have already implemented. These include doubling the number of Medicare-subsidised individual psychological therapy sessions nationally—providing up to 20 sessions per year—and providing funding for the establishment of adult mental health hubs and residential eating disorder centres. I was able to announce $13 million for the establishment of a residential centre for the treatment of eating disorders, which, for example, will service residents in my broader local region. The centre will provide much needed services for those affected by these conditions and will change the way that eating disorders are diagnosed and treated, by providing 24/7 intensive care and support as well as training, education and advocacy. Having had a lived experience with someone I deeply, deeply care for, I know how important this service will be for those who need it.

We know that homelessness is also a key risk factor for mental health challenges, so the Morrison government is also delivering funding for a unique homelessness outreach program, Health on the Streets, designed to take health care to those on the Central Coast sleeping rough. It's a clinical outreach program where clinicians undertake primary health and mental health assessments at no cost to the community. In the first 12 months of its operation, almost 1,500 hours of outreach were delivered to over 190 people, with 862 clinical interventions by the Help on the Streets team. For people experiencing homelessness, being able to access treatment for their specific issues and challenges has an untold flow-on effect for those people and our whole community.

We were also able to dramatically expand youth mental health services, including by increasing the number of headspace sites, from 56 in 2013 to 153 by 2022, and delivering $500 million in direct support to respond to the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know there's a lot more to do, and the government are committed to ensuring that we continue to deliver important funding and programs to improve mental health.

On this topic and on the mental health of women here and right across Australia, it would be wrong to neglect events over the past few weeks, and specifically the actions that were brought to light last night. The acts were completely inappropriate and need to be condemned. They demeaned and degraded female MPs and this institution, the very symbol of democracy in our country. They were a clear demonstration of a total lack of respect for others and for the values we hold dear. These revelations, and the instances of the gross mistreatment of women both here and around the nation, have brought back some horrible memories for many of us, including me, in my personal life and in the workplace.

As the Prime Minister said today, these events have triggered—right across this building and, indeed, right across the country—women who have put up with rubbish for their entire lives, as their mothers did and as their grandmothers did. It's been going on. We have been talking about it in this place for a month; they have been living with it all their lives. This is simply not okay.

I was really struck by some comments made by the member for Brand last night in the House on this issue. The member said in her speech:

One hopes that if the culture of this place changes we can do some very good things right across the country, where the systematic abuse of women and domestic violence can come to an end. If it can't start here and be successful here, I guess there's little hope for it happening across the nation.

I couldn't agree with her more. Let's work together to build on this as a parliament, regardless of political aspiration, because if we can do this together we can lead the way in bringing about the change we need to see in our nation. This is a daunting task, but it's one we shouldn't shy away from. We owe it to future generations to set an example, ensuring we foster healthy workplaces and communities for all. It's up to all of us, as Australians, to work together across this parliament but also in our homes, in our communities and across the nation to create that change for good, to create change that lasts a lifetime, to create change that lasts beyond our lifetimes—change that not only ends this cycle but reverses it.

I'd like to conclude by reminding members here, and anyone who may be listening, that none of us really know what someone may be dealing with even now—even tonight or tomorrow, or over this week. The importance of kindness and understanding can never be underestimated at a time like this, and I'd like to encourage everyone in this place to continue to look out for their loved ones, family and friends, as I know you do so well. We never know what the impact of our actions may be.