Shepparton will be home to a 30-bed, $36 million drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility should the Coalition win November’s Victorian election.
The facility would be built as one of five new rehabilitation centres, with others based in Mildura, the Latrobe Valley, Frankston and metropolitan Melbourne.
Shadow Mental Health Minister Emma Kealy was in Shepparton to announce the pledge alongside Liberal candidate Cheryl Hammer and Nationals candidate Kim O’Keeffe, who are both running for the seat against current member Suzanna Sheed.
Ms Kealy said it was a much-needed facility for the people of Shepparton and said it was “bitterly disappointing” the wait-list for drug and alcohol rehabilitation support was so long.
“We know that unless we provide more alcohol and other drug facilities across the state, people are not going to be able to get out of that terrible cycle of needing to drink or to use drugs in order to get through the day,” Ms Kealy said.
“We know that the pandemic has caused so much harm to the mental health of all Victorians and we know that people haven't been able to get the mental health support that they need, so many Victorians have turned to alcohol or turn to drug drugs to help to medicate.”
Ms Kealy said she acknowledged workforce shortages in key health sector areas, including mental health care, but said Labor had “completely dropped the ball” in delivering royal commission recommendations around mental health.
“We simply can't rebuild Victoria's mental health system if we don't have the workers,” she said.
The Coalition would incentivise more healthcare workers if it was elected in November, she said.
Ms Hammer said the commitment to more rehabilitation beds in Shepparton was “absolutely amazing” news for the community.
Ms Hammer has been involved in The Cottage and other groups that have helped combat addiction.
“It's something we've lobbied for and asked for not only through the pandemic but for years, decades, for this sort of service to be supplied or available to us,” Ms Hammer said.
“These extra 30 beds will absolutely be amazing, and support and complement the work that's already been done here by The Cottage and other services.”
Ms O’Keeffe said her work as City of Greater Shepparton mayor had shown her more rehabilitation beds were a “critical need” for the city.
"It's one of my most important aspirations as a candidate really, to lobby for our community, and nothing is more needed than this facility,“ she said.
“We need to really be doing this work to make sure that families are supported, that the people that need this treatment are supported, and this is what we are talking about today."