[Greens-Media] Mental Health Act a missed opportunity for children and women's health: Greens

[Adele.Pedder at parliament.vic.gov.au]

The Greens have welcomed the Victorian Mental Health Act passed this week 
as a big step forward, but flawed practices which potentially impact 
children and women's health have been allowed continued. The Greens say it 
is a huge missed opportunity. 

While The Greens were successful in getting up an important gender 
identity amendment, the government and Labor's rejection of other Greens 
initiatives means that children can continue to receive electroconvulsive 
treatment and there is no principle included that women should be housed 
separate to men where possible. 

"The Greens identified gender identity as critical to be excluded from the 
definition of a mental illness. Our community members have a right to 
express their gender identity without fear of this being labelled a mental 
illness,? said Victorian Greens spokesperson on health, Colleen Hartland.

"The Greens proposed the amendment to include gender identity in the list 
of people?s characteristics that are excluded from the definition of 
mental illness."

"Rather than agreeing the Greens amendment, the government stole it at the 
eleventh hour, down the very last letter, and tried to call it their own. 
These health issues are too important to play politics with." 

"The Greens were the only party that voted against electroconvulsive 
treatment for children. This issue is highly contested by experts. The 
wellbeing of children is too important to risk when so many experts are 
against it, including the World Health Organisation.? 

"The law includes the principle that children should be provided with 
services separate from adults wherever possible, but the government has 
not agreed to the Greens proposal for the same principle for women.?

"The Greens proposed to fix this flaw with a specific provision for women 
to be separated from men wherever practicable."

"Over the years I have heard many distressing stories of women being 
abused by male patients in mental health services. We should be doing 
whatever we can to make women safe. Providing separate treatment 
environments is critical.?

"Many mental health and legal organisations have significant concerns 
about some aspects of this new law. The best course of action would have 
been to hold an inquiry to ensure these concerns were addressed. 
Unfortunately this was rejected by the Coalition Government."

"We need a mental health system that can best support people with mental 
illness to live full and healthy lives. It is disappointing that 
Government refused to make changes to this new legislation that would have 
made a good legal framework, a great one," said Ms Hartland.

For comment: Colleen Hartland 0417 445 845

Colleen's full parliamentary speech available at: 
http://vicmps.greens.org.au/content/greens-work-secure-human-rights-new-mental-health-act

**************************


Adele Pedder

Electorate Officer
Greens MP Colleen Hartland 
Ph: 9689 6373. Mob: 0422 108 539
colleenhartland.org
75 Victoria Street Seddon 3011
 


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Parliament of Victoria                                                                                                                    . 

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