CORONAVIRUS —
MENTAL HEALTH
667. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Mental Health:
Can
the minister please outline to the house the extent of the mental health issues
that are impacting Western Australians as a result of the COVID-19
crisis, and what the expected demand is on our health system in the short,
medium and long term?
Mr R.H.
COOK replied:
I
thank the member for the question. Obviously, we are acutely aware of some of
the levels of anxiety that have risen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We
will have an opportunity to dig into these issues in much more detail in the
matter of public interest that the opposition has signalled that it wishes to
raise today. I can tell the opposition that mental health issues are more
acutely felt by those who are concerned about their jobs, the economy and the
future for the Western Australian community. I can tell the opposition that the
best way it can undermine the progress that we have made on jobs, the economy, and bringing the Western Australian
community to a new normal is by dismantling our hard border. Today, the biggest threat to the Western Australian
community is the Liberal Party, which seeks to bring down the hard border,
which has allowed us to keep Western Australians safe and to bring our economy
back.
Mr Z.R.F. Kirkup: Move on
from this old line! It doesn't work.
The SPEAKER: I have an old
line for you. I call you to order for the first time, member for Dawesville.
Mr
R.H. COOK: Whether it is the
Liberals in Canberra or the Liberals in Western Australia, we know that they
are the enemies of the government's policies to keep Western Australians
safe and bring back Western Australian jobs. The Western Australian community
supports our hard border approach and we will continue to progress it. One thing
we can guarantee is that mental health and anxiety issues in our community will
be much better resolved by a hard border policy.