Private Members' Statement
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) (19:51:18) — Let me share four small yet powerful words: You are not alone.
These four words hold significant meaning for the thousands of people living with mental illness in our communities.
This year those four words resonate more than ever. By any measure, 2020 has been unprecedented. The year began with devastating bushfires that ravaged large parts of our country, destroying homes and livelihoods and sadly resulting in the loss of life.
Who knew that things would only get worse? But, of course, they did.
The COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down. Life would never quite be the same. As the pandemic worsened, we grew accustomed to new social norms like lockdown, quarantine, QR codes, social distancing, hand sanitiser and, of course, working from home.
The health crisis led to a severe and damaging economic crisis. By the middle of the year about a million Australians were out of work. Soon after, Australia's economy plunged into its first recession in nearly 30 years.
The long queues outside Centrelink painted a picture that spoke a thousand words. Many lining up for social support were doing so for the first time in their working lives.
Yet there was another crisis unfolding in our community as a result of the pandemic—the colossal toll on people's mental health.
Social isolation and chronic uncertainty exacerbated psychological distress and mental health problems among previously healthy people but especially those with pre-existing conditions. Australian National University research showed that young people aged between 18 and 34 experienced the greatest mental health impact due to COVID-19. In fact, the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds experiencing severe psychological distress jumped from 14 per cent in February 2017 to 22.3 per cent in April 2020.
These alarming figures highlight the urgent need for more funding for community mental health services.
Young people have been disproportionately affected by the economic consequences of COVID-19 and will carry the burden of the pandemic for decades to come.
It is vital that sustained investment is made into community mental health services in order to build greater capacity to support young people experiencing stress, anxiety and depression not only during COVID-19 but beyond the pandemic.
I recently visited One Door Mental Health's local outreach service at the Salvation Army Macquarie Fields Community Centre, where a program called Connector Hub is helping people with mental illness live to their fullest potential through the support of a peer worker.
The benefits of a peer worker are enormous, as they help people with mental illness achieve their goals and improve their wellbeing. The programs' success is based on the fact that "you are not alone".
If there is one thing the bushfires and the pandemic has taught us, it is that we are stronger together—once again, those four words: you are not alone.
As we navigate our way out of the pandemic, we need to focus also on one small, yet powerful four‑letter word: hope. It is hope that continues to sustain us through these tough times and it is hope that makes us believe there are better days ahead.
But we cannot rely on hope alone.
The upcoming New South Wales budget is an opportunity for the Liberal Government to address the overwhelming impact that the virus has had on people's mental health and wellbeing, and will have for many more decades ahead.
A recent Ipsos poll revealed that 45 per cent of New South Wales voters believe that mental health has been affected a great deal or a fair amount by the pandemic.
This impact is significantly higher for younger people: 65 per cent of those aged between 18 to 24 and 60 per cent of those aged between 25 to 39.
The upcoming New South Wales budget represents an opportunity for the Liberal Government to address a crisis that is set to outlast the pandemic.
The time to act is now.
It is an opportunity for the Liberal Government to boost funding for community health services in our electorates. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that mental health matters. It is also an opportunity to show people in our community living with mental illness, their carers, their families and their friends that they are not alone. That gives us all hope.
