Months after it was announced that local provider Nexus Primary Health would be forced to close its counselling and mental health services due to a lack of funding, Ms. Cleeland criticised the Victorian Government for prioritising major projects in other parts of the state.
“It is a brutal slap in the face when our local services are forced into closing while Labor are happy to invest $10 million into other areas of the state,” she said.
“As things stand, the entire region has failed to have any mental health services funded by the state government despite a clear need for them.
“We are going to reach a crisis point, with local residents forced into travelling long distances to access such a crucial service, or risk missing out on treatment entirely.”
A Victorian Government spokesperson said they would not take advice from the opposition, who "delivered only one mental health bed" during their last term in government.
“The Allan Labor Government is investing record funding into Victoria’s world-class mental health system, making sure Victorian families can continue getting the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” they said.
“Everything we have achieved so far has only been possible through the hard work and dedication of our sector, the workforce, those with lived and living experience and the Victorian community.”
Ms. Cleeland, who also serves as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health, said local mental health services at Nexus had been shelved to fund a new training program for family violence operators, citing State Government funding cuts.
“My heart aches for patients who had made progress in their mental health with the support of qualified specialists, only to have that access taken away,” Ms Cleeland said.
“It’s a sad state of affairs when the Allan Labor Government plays politics with Victoria’s most vulnerable.
“Mental health services are a crucial preventative measure for other major concerns, including family violence – yet this has been stripped away in favour of staff training.
“This feels like a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul – with this government deciding it will only provide funding for one major issue at a time in our regional communities.
“Both issues are deserving of funding for the betterment of our region and must both receive the support needed to effectively offer sustainable, long-term solutions in the mental health and family violence spheres.
“This decision reeks of being yet another one of Labor’s ad-hoc and poorly planned initiatives that will fail to bring effective change for those who need it most.”
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