The coronial finding that a 21-year-old Bendigo man’s death was potentially preventable should stop every Victorian in their tracks.
Coroner Ingrid Giles found there had been a serious failure, and that this young man may have survived had he received a mental health assessment after presenting to Bendigo Hospital and discharging himself twice in one day. A family is now left to carry that loss forever.
This is not an isolated case. It follows disturbing revelations last week about other young Victorians who have died, and serious questions about whether warning signs are being identified and acted on quickly enough.
Five years ago, the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System found it had “catastrophically failed to live up to expectations and the Labor Government promised to implement every recommendation. Five years on, key reforms remain incomplete, even as Victorians pay billions through Labor’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Levy.
This is not a reflection on our doctors, nurses and mental health workers, who do everything they can in a system Labor has failed to fix. The responsibility sits squarely with the government.
We cannot keep learning where the gaps are through coronial findings after another life has been lost.
An elected Nationals and Liberals Government will get Victoria’s mental health reforms back on track, strengthen accountability and oversight, rebuild the workforce, and ensure care is there when and where people need it.
Emma Kealy MP
Shadow Minister for Mental Health
Shadow Minister for Mental Health
