Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I too would like to take note of the Minister for Health's statement on Australia's COVID-19 health response. I particularly want to focus on the mental health elements of the response. This is a deeply distressing time for Australians, for people around the world, for individuals and for families. The stresses of the pandemic on households, relationships and finances are immense, and we all recognise that. Many people are suffering from the impacts of loneliness as they isolate and cannot see their love ones, particularly older Australians. I know from my personal experience how hard my mother is finding not being able to hug us, not being able to see her grandchildren or great grandchildren. Many people are quite rightly worried about their futures. The mental health impacts of this pandemic are also likely to continue for some time throughout the recovery period as people get back on their feet, so it's not just this particular period.

We recognise and thank the government and the Minister for Health for the additional resources that have been provided to address peoples' mental health and mental ill health, and also recognise the importance of the appointment of the new deputy CMO for mental health. We look forward to seeing the outcomes from National Cabinet, I understand later this week, on its deliberations on the national mental health pandemic response plan, a very important plan that will lead our further mental health response and the way forward.

Having said that, there are still things that we need to be doing. We must ensure that all Australians have access to the mental health supports they need when they need them. I am concerned that some people still are unable to access those services and I'll explain why. Introducing the MBS items for telehealth psychology sessions has provided some immediate relief and is very much appreciated but it doesn't replace face-to-face experiences with a psychologist. I know from the Senate inquiry we had into rural and regional mental health experiences that a number of people expressed very strong support for telehealth for mental health support but others found it was only part of the supports that they needed. I am concerned, having heard reports from a number of people, for those on low incomes who are now finding it difficult to be able to afford to pay the gap in fees for their psychology sessions. This is particularly the case since the bulk-billing rules were changed We need some level of transparency around bulk-billing services and, in particular, people need to know where they can access bulk-billed psychology sessions.

I also think it is time we reviewed the Better Access Initiative. Throughout this pandemic, many people are experiencing relapses in their mental ill health or their symptoms have been amplified due to the stresses of the current situation. For people with moderate or severe mental health conditions, 10 sessions under Better Access is simply not enough, so we think it's time to look at that situation. I've had it proposed to me that, in fact, we may look at a tiered system which provides additional sessions for people with more complex mental health conditions. I would like to strongly suggest that the government looks at that tiered approach, because I know that there are a number of people supporting that approach. That sort of approach will provide security for both the individual and their mental healthcare provider.

We've heard just in recent days the modelling which suggests that there may be a 50 per cent increase in the number of people taking their own lives. This is directly related to the stresses of the pandemic and the recovery period. Last week, Professor Pat McGorry—I know every single member of this place would be well aware of the excellent work of Professor McGorry—called on the government to provide much quicker access to the data on suicide and suicide attempts. I strongly support this call and in fact raised it with the Department of Health this morning in the latest hearing of the COVID committee inquiry. The department answered that they are going to be looking at it. We're keen to see this issue progressed, and we're going to be discussing it further next week. An issue that was raised during the Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs inquiry into the prevention of suicide a large number of years ago now was the need for better access and better understanding of the numbers in more real time. So I very strongly support Professor McGorry's call and look forward to seeing this matter progressed. If we are going to address this issue, we need a much better understanding of where this is occurring and address the causes.

We know that we are going to come out of this pandemic with high levels of unemployment. This will create immense insecurity for individuals and families, placing further pressure on them and, of course, on their mental health also. We must ensure unemployed peoples' mental health is looked after during this difficult period in their lives as they try and find work. Programs such as the individual placement and support trial at headspace have shown very good success in providing mental health care with career guidance and counselling. Now is the time to be looking at expanding these sorts of programs much more significantly across the country and to start providing them to adults as well. Having seen the benefits, I think adults would benefit from them. At the moment the trials, being through headspace, are focused on young people.

It's important that we also make sure we're looking after older people and their longer term prospects. I know, having heard from a number of older people, as I hold the older Australians portfolio for the Australian Greens, that older Australians are worried about their employment prospects. We know from the unemployment figures prior to the pandemic that older workers are remaining on income support for much longer periods and, unfortunately, figure very predominantly in the number of those that have been on unemployment benefits for the long term. So we need to make sure that we have very good mental health supports in place for older Australians as well.

I can't help but note that one of the ways that we will be able to support people most effectively as we come out of this period and move into the recovery period is to make sure that they are adequately supported in their mental health supports, their health supports and also income support. That is why I'm so strongly pursuing the issue of the increase in the jobseeker payment—so that people aren't as financially stressed as they would be if they weren't getting that support.

I too would like to thank everybody who has been involved in addressing the pandemic, particularly frontline workers. We know that they have been working day in and day out and putting their own lives at risk—and, I would also note, putting their families' health at risk. It's very important that we make sure that we call out our support for them whenever we can. I also note that yesterday was International Nurses Day. Being the niece of a nurse and having watched her through her career, I know that they do absolutely vital work. Also, having had a lot of contact with nurses through this process, I know they are absolutely doing vital work. So I give call out for them on the day after International Nurses Day. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.