Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the early hours of Saturday morning there was a tragic accident just outside of Hamilton, the community where I live, in the electorate of Wannon. Four young people lost their lives. Sadly, a fifth is fighting for their life in a critical but stable condition. It followed, on Friday, a funeral for a young man who also lost his life driving in Queensland. The community is obviously in absolute shock following these two terrible accidents but is rallying together. Support services have been provided, obviously, for the first responders and the police. Can I thank them once again for the job that they do in the most trying of circumstances.

Obviously for schools in the community of Hamilton, where these young people went to school, the principles and the staff at those schools have acted to make sure that there has been counselling provided to the students. Headspace has acted, and can I thank the national CEO of headspace for making sure that the resources that have been needed have been there for the young people during this very trying time. The Western Victoria Primary Health Network has provided counselling and grief support for those adults who have been impacted by this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers, and those of all community members, go out to the families and friends of those who have lost their life and to the young girl who is still fighting for her life.

One of the things that the community is going to need is ongoing support and ongoing mental health support, especially for the young people in the community, those students. One of the things that I will continue to do is talk to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler; and the assistant minister, Emma McBride. I thank Emma for her engagement so far, but we are going to have to ensure that those ongoing mental health supports are there for the young people in the community going forward. What we need more than anything else is to see that the headspace that has been planned and proposed for Hamilton gets up and running as quickly as it possibly can. If ever a community needed an up and running headspace, it is at this time. I look forward to working with the government to see that come about as quickly as possible.