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Five years after the mental health royal commission and amid revelations of clusters of youth suicides across Melbourne, the Coalition has pledged a comprehensive review of the failures of Victoria’s youth mental health system.
On Tuesday, Aboriginal groups also demanded the government stop avoiding its commitments to mental health, highlighting that 121 Indigenous Victorians had died from suicide in the 2000 days since the royal commission’s final report.
As this masthead revealed on Monday, 10 people, the youngest aged 13, have died in two recent youth suicide clusters in Melbourne’s east, which the state’s health authorities have so far failed to investigate. The clusters are the latest in a series of concerning developments uncovered by this masthead that expose serious issues within the state’s mental health system.
Opposition mental health spokeswoman Emma Kealy said it was time for an urgent review, at arm’s length from government.
Kealy said the deaths showed action was needed immediately and called for a special independent inquiry or panel that went beyond the typical investigations that follow a suicide.
“It’s a tragedy that at least 10 young lives have been lost across two clusters in the same part of Melbourne, and yet nobody in government has thought to ask why or to look into the circumstances that connect them to stop further deaths,” she said.
“There must be an urgent investigation into child and mental health support services in Victoria, and it is a heartbreaking failure that this hasn’t already been initiated by Labor minister [Ingrid] Stitt.
“The Nationals and Liberals are committed to get mental health reforms back on track. More than 2000 days have passed since the royal commission handed down its final report, and yet most recommendations have been delayed or scrapped, and mental health outcomes are worsening.”
Victoria’s Department of Health has confirmed its youth mental health services provided post-suicide support to the area after being alerted to the deaths in Melbourne’s east.
But because it does not have records of the children receiving help at public hospitals before they died, there is no review from the chief psychiatrist, Safer Care Victoria or the Suicide Prevention and Response Office into the suitability or capacity of services in the area.
On Tuesday, Stitt was questioned in parliament about whether she would launch an independent inquiry into the possible clusters.
She said she would not cut across the coroner’s work.
“Any suicide, particularly of a young person, is absolutely devastating, and I give my heartfelt condolences to those impacted by these incidents,” Stitt said.
“It is an incredibly difficult time for those families, loved ones, friends and indeed that community.”
Ahead of the state election, peak body Mental Health Victoria is asking parties to commit to a reset of the state’s mental health reforms in their first 100 days of government, including assessing whether the system is performing adequately and what new issues need to be prioritised.
It has also asked parties to commit to an independent monitor responsible for system-wide problems, with powers to compel information and influence the timeline of reforms.
Mental Health Victoria chief executive Phillipa Thomas said it was time to examine if the mental health system was up to scratch.
In November, the organisation published a report that found the drivers of mental illness and distress were rising, and the system wasn’t keeping up with increased demand.
Thomas said the royal commission into mental health found services had to increase to cater for 3.1 per cent of the population, up from 1.1 per cent.
“At last count, it’s 1.4 per cent, so we are nowhere near that goal,” she said.
“Does it mean we have achieved nothing? Of course not. The quality and care that Victoria’s mental health services provide should be a source of pride.”
Thomas said Victoria had a suicide prevention office and strategy but questioned whether these initiatives had received the investment and support they needed to tackle the problem.
More than five years after the royal commission released its final report, which then-premier Daniel Andrews promised to implement in full, an investigation by this masthead has exposed serious failings in the sector.
These included an independent watchdog’s report being reworked before its release so it was less critical of the government’s progress; a damning assessment on reform by advocate Patrick McGorry; and accusations of violence, drug use and an exodus of senior staff from the state’s flagship youth mental health service.
On Tuesday, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) put 121 empty chairs on steps of parliament to highlight the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had died by suicide in the 2000 days since the final report from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.
One of the commission’s recommendations was for dedicated Aboriginal-led healing centres, which are yet to be funded despite multiple budget bids from VACCHO.
Chief executive Dr Jill Gallagher said Aboriginal Victorians were three times more likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous Victorians, and they were still waiting for a transformed mental health system promised by the royal commission.
“Behind every number is a loved one, a family, a community and a future that should never have been lost – a seat at the family table that should still be occupied,” Gallagher said.
VACCHO says dedicated Aboriginal-led on-Country healing centres are one of the most critical pieces of the puzzle still missing.
Speaking on the steps of parliament, Stitt said she would continue to advocate for the healing centres to receive funding.
“I understand the urgent need to do that, and I understand the pressures that some of these communities are facing,” she said.
Nicola Perry-Peters, director of VACCHO’s Balit Durn Durn Centre, which helps Aboriginal Victorians access appropriate mental health support, said there were still too many people dealing with high levels of psychological distress.
“Healing centres are essential infrastructure that would provide culturally safe spaces where people can reconnect with culture, receive holistic care and heal before they reach crisis point,” she said.
“If we are serious about preventing suicide, the government must invest in Aboriginal-led solutions that Aboriginal communities have been calling for over many years.
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