Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health, Senator Cash. Can the minister please update the Senate on how the Liberal and Nationals government is supporting Victoria through its coronavirus second-wave outbreak and driving health recovery in Victoria?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for the question. As we've seen over recent months, supporting Victoria to suppress community transmission of COVID-19 is critical not just to economic recovery, of course, but also to save lives. Sadly, as a result of the second wave of COVID-19, we have now seen over 517 Australians lose their lives. The Morrison government has stepped up our support to the Victorian government to assist them in combating the effects of COVID-19. The Australian government's Department of Health is assisting the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to undertake contact tracing. Over 1,700 Australian defence personnel are currently deployed to Victoria to assist with contact tracing, testing, logistics and Victorian police checkpoints. In July and August, the government substantially increased dispatches of personal protective equipment, PPE, from the National Medical Stockpile. Of the more than 66 million masks dispatched from the National Medical Stockpile to date, over 23 million masks have been dispatched to Victoria, including nine million masks dispatched for Victorian aged-care providers. The Australian government is dispatching 186,000 goggles from the National Medical Stockpile to assist Victorian general practitioners and allied health providers. Additionally, the Australian government has established 28 GP led respiratory clinics in Victoria, providing free, holistic care and testing for patients with respiratory illness. Respiratory clinics in Victoria have assessed more than 153,200 people and have now conducted over 138,000 tests.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, a supplementary question?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the second stage of lockdowns has placed additional strain on the mental health of Victorians, what support is the government providing to bolster mental health services?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government is making a significant investment to support the mental health of all Australians and, indeed, the mental health of Victorians. We are investing $26.9 million to create 15 mental health clinics across Victoria: nine in Melbourne and six in regional Victoria. We're investing $5 million to enhance digital and phone services for groups that are experiencing significant challenges during the restrictions that are now in place, and $14.6 million to support mental health providers respond to increased demand in Victoria, including $5 million to support headspace, $2 million to support the Kids Helpline, $2.5 million to support Lifeline and $2.5 million to support Beyond Blue. The impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, physical distancing and isolation can make us feel anxious, stressed and worried. Our message to Australians is that, if you are suffering— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, a final supplementary question?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister please update the Senate on the state of the Australian response to COVID-19 and on why it's still important for all Australians to remain vigilant and take precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our testing has now seen 5.7 million tests conducted across Australia. Of those, over 24,821 Australians have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and, sadly, as I stated in my first answer, 517 Australians have lost their lives. Our tracing effort has been critical in our response, and the COVIDSafe app has now seen over seven million downloads and is, obviously, enabling us to trace those cases.

We are now at a very important moment nationally. In June and July, we saw positive signs of economic recovery in the states that have suppressed the virus. It is critical that we support Victoria to contain community transmission so that we can protect the lives and livelihoods of Australians. The Victorian second wave has made it clear how we must all follow and observe social-distancing practices— (Time expired)