It has been weeks since the Victorian Government handed down the 2024/25 budget, and although Wellways welcomes the additional funding to build up the mental health workforce, we, like so many in the community are still coming to terms with what this budget means for Victoria’s mental health reform and the Victorian Royal Commission into the Mental Health System’s vision for a person-centred, rights based, community led mental health and wellbeing system will be achieved with important foundational recommendations not allocated funding in this year’s budget.
These reforms were long overdue, and we must maintain the momentum for reform.
The decision to delay the roll out of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals, a cornerstone of Royal Commission’s vision for a connected and community based mental health and wellbeing system at a time when people are experiencing sustained levels of distress and are financially unable to access care is disappointing. We can already see the transformative impact the established Locals are having on their local communities, and it is disheartening that some communities across Victoria will have to wait longer to access this type of care.
Wellways are also disappointed to see a lack of funding for the Lived Experience Leadership Agency (Royal Commission-Recommendation 29). As a signatory to VMIAC’s campaign to support this recommendation in the leadup to the State Budget, Wellways know this Agency is pivotal to driving change in the mental health system and ensuring these changes are developed in close collaboration with lived experience.
The establishment of Regional Boards as an important mechanism to ensure services are an important mechanism to ensure services are responsive to the needs of local communities. The Interim Regional Bodies have laid much of the groundwork for the establishment of the Regional Boards; this work cannot be lost due to funding delays.
Wellways will continue to advocate to Government for an improved mental health system as envisioned in the Royal Commission. In the meantime, we continue to be committed to working to ensure community and lived experience is at the heart of everything we do.