Gary Hipworth's Blog

Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council

Media Release   17^th November 2010

Labor and Liberal Party Policy on Mental Health

The peak consumer organisation for people with a mental illness is bitterly disappointed in the Labor and Liberal parties’ policies on mental health. 

The burden of mental illness in Victoria is 14% and government funding to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our community is only 8%.  The impact this lack of funding has on the individual and his or her loved ones is often devastating.  The government’s and Liberal party recently released policies will do little to ease this devastating burden.  

Isabell Collins said that “people who work in mental health and those who use mental health services have become so use to begging for funds that any amount is seen as a positive step when in reality the government and Liberal party clearly only intend to slow drip feed a severely dehydrated mental health system.” 

She added, “The community needs to understand that the government is very good at developing policy, but has always bordered on negligence when it comes to providing the funding needed to implement the policies.  After 20 years of reform, people with a mental illness are still asking for the same things they were asking for 20 years ago; so much for the progress of mental health reform. The major political parties need to stop discriminating against and neglecting mental health. ” 

What people with a mental illness of all ages need is timely and appropriate access to holistic mental health services, adequate community support systems, appropriate and affordable accommodation, employment opportunities and a less stretched and stressed mental health workforce. 

For further media enquiries please contact Isabell Collins Director VMIAC in 0412516245 or (03) 93803900.