Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I table a ministerial statement on Australia's COVID-19 health response.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

All of us in this chamber and this country have looked in horror at the scenes that we have witnessed, particularly overseas in many parts of the world, as a result of COVID-19. I certainly know that I won't forget in a hurry the images of panic in hospitals in Italy, and there are many other similar scenes that all of us have witnessed in recent months as a result of COVID-19 overseas. Thankfully, Australia, while suffering greatly from COVID-19, has been spared what we have seen in many other countries, although we do need to remember that, despite best efforts, we have seen 97 Australians lose their lives as a result of coronavirus, with a total of 6,948 cases in Australia all up.

Behind these numbers are personal stories, like that of Garry Kirstenfeldt, the second Queenslander to die from coronavirus and the first to die in Queensland. Mr Kirstenfeldt, 68 years old, died on 25 March this year in Toowoomba after recently disembarking from the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship in Sydney. His family say that he was an avid traveller. His children described him as a man with much more life in him. It's truly tragic to see people like Mr Kirstenfeldt cut down by this virus, in his case at the age of only 68.

We know that, without the efforts of many people, there would have been many more like Mr Kirstenfeldt. On behalf of the opposition, I want to thank everyone who has worked on this crisis, in particular in what we're focusing on today—the health response. I want to thank all of the governments, federal, state and territory, for the efforts that they have put in. I know from my participation on the COVID oversight committee, with Senators Gallagher, Keneally and others, that there are officials of this government who have worked incredibly hard over the last few months to protect Australians from this virus.

More than anyone, I want to thank the frontline workers in our health system—the doctors, the nurses, other health workers, the disability care workers, the aged-care workers, the cleaners, and the orderlies in our hospitals, who have really gone above and beyond to look after their fellow Australians. As the Labor leader, Mr Albanese, has said this week, we can't forget them when this crisis is over.

Finally, on behalf of the opposition, I want to thank Australians generally for having risen to the challenge, for by and large listening to the health advice that's been provided, for practising social distancing and for making sacrifices over the last few months, not just to protect themselves and their own families but to protect Australians generally. It is a pretty incredible achievement from Australians, and it has demonstrated some of those values of Australians that we all do cherish.

Labor's approach through the coronavirus crisis has been one where we have attempted to be constructive and look for solutions, not arguments.

We have supported every single initiative that this government has put forward to tackle coronavirus. Where the government has needed criticism and answers have been required, we have made those criticisms and we have sought those answers. Chief among them has been the government's handling of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, something that I know Senator Keneally has been very active on. I know that we are all still seeking more answers about what went on there.

We've made a number of suggestions in a constructive spirit that have been taken up by the government and we thank them for listening. I want to put on record my thanks to many of our own Labor team, who have worked incredibly hard to both support the government in its efforts and also to provide these constructive suggestions. In particular our shadow health minister Chris Bowen has worked day and night on behalf of our Labor team, along with many other members of caucus. I do want to single out for attention the members of our own First Nations caucus committee, including in this chamber senators Dodson and McCarthy, who have put in a huge amount of work focused on protecting remote First Nations communities across our country. So collectively, all of us—governments, oppositions, health workers and Australians in general—have managed at this stage at least to flatten the curve and they deserve our congratulations.

Inevitably, attention is now turning to when restrictions can be eased. As someone who, like many, is working from home with a spouse who is working from home, with two school-aged children doing their schooling from home, I know many Australians are looking forward to restrictions being eased and life going back to normal. But the decisions that we do take from here must continue to be guided by health advice. We can't see political decisions being made or political point scoring being taken in the decisions, particularly in states and territories, around the easing of restrictions. We can't be reckless with these decisions because, even today, clusters remain. Look at Newmarch House and the Cedar Meats abattoir. We have seen in other countries around the world the risk of a second wave of infections. We must ease our restrictions gradually, steadily, sensibly and always based on the best health advice.

In closing, I want to congratulate the government for its efforts and for taking up some of those constructive suggestions that the opposition made. And I again want to congratulate all Australians for what we've achieved so far. Let's make sure it stays that way.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to 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.