Coalition pledges ‘mental health reset’ with sweeping reviews in Victorian election pitch

The Coalition’s election pledge, to be unveiled on Tuesday, also includes an overhaul of youth services and the creation of a specialist standalone mental health facility, in a bid to improve what it describes as Victoria’s struggling sector.

Under the plan, a new strategy to boost the mental health workforce would be created within 100 days of the Coalition being elected, backed by a targeted $50 million fund to fill skills and staffing gaps. The Coalition has also committed to developing a Youth Mental Health Centre of Excellence overseen by Orygen, and to spending $5 million masterplanning a new standalone youth mental health hospital in Parkville.

The pledge follows a months-long investigation by The Age that exposed systemic problems in Victoria’s mental health system, more than five years after the state government accepted every recommendation handed down by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System in 2021. The investigation detailed how the state’s mental health watchdog was stripped of its power and how a mental health bed crisis is causing a backlog in emergency departments.

The separate reviews would examine the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy, the sector’s independent watchdog and the state’s delivery of its royal commission commitments, with the Coalition promising a reset of a system it says has left patients and families navigating a maze.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Victoria’s mental health system has been under sustained pressure, with emergency department backlogs linked to a shortage of mental health beds affecting patients across the state.
The pledge puts mental health at the centre of the November election campaign and signals a major policy shift if the Coalition wins government.
The review of the billion-dollar Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy could have significant implications for how the sector is funded.

Background

More than five years after the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System handed down its recommendations in 2021, and the state government accepted every one of them, the system continues to struggle. A months-long investigation by The Age has documented a series of systemic problems, including a mental health bed crisis contributing to emergency department backlogs and a watchdog stripped of its power. The Coalition’s pledge responds to those findings by promising a reset of the system, including a review of the levy that funds it.

Key Perspectives

[The Coalition]: Argues the sector needs a reset, promising separate reviews into the Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy, the independent watchdog and the delivery of royal commission commitments, alongside a $50 million workforce fund and new youth facilities. [The incumbent Labor government]: Accepted every recommendation of the royal commission in 2021, but has faced sustained criticism over lagging delivery of those commitments and broader systemic problems exposed by The Age’s investigation. [Critics and system users]: The Age’s investigation paints a picture of a system in crisis, with the watchdog stripped of its power and beds in short supply, raising questions about whether the government’s response has been adequate.

What to Watch

The November state election, and whether the mental health pledge shifts the campaign debate.
The 100-day deadline for the workforce strategy if the Coalition wins office.
Progress on the $5 million masterplan for a standalone youth mental health hospital in Parkville.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Background

Key Perspectives

What to Watch

Sources