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 Home News General
Campaign to save Gippsland Mental Health Services Widens05 December 2003Members of the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) campaigning to save mental health services in Gippsland received support from two important allies in addition to growing community support. The Victorian Trades Hall Council and The Police Association both threw their support behind the HACSU campaign to resist a $1.2 million cut to mental health services in Gippsland. The VTHC is coordinating a community and public campaign to highlight what it describes as the Victorian government's shortcomings in providing decent and responsive public services to the Victorian community. Leigh Hubbard, Secretary of the VTHC, speaking at today's community rally organised by HACSU, expressed concerns that the cuts to mental health services in Gippsland is indicative of the government's failure to deliver decent and fair public services. Secretary of The Police Association, Paul Mullett, stressed that they are already under resourced in Gippsland and that the proposed service cuts will mean that the police will be left to pick up the pieces. HACSU State Secretary Lloyd Williams says "HACSU members have a strong relationship with the police and work closely together in their day to day work. This support from the Police Association has given Gippsland's mental health nurses and other professionals a real boost". "The support from the Police and Trades Hall gives our members real heart and confidence as they try to save services for people with a mental illness," Mr Williams said. Members of the union and the community rallied this morning at the old Latrobe Regional Hospital site to highlight the plight of mental health funding in Gippsland. Mr Williams said "The old hospital site is symbolic to Gippsland's mental health work force. It is where a new Psychiatric Community Unit was to be built after Premier Bracks promised its fast tracking in 2000". The union has said that further activities are scheduled. If the hospital attempts to proceed with any cuts to services these will be responded to with immediate industrial action. Mr Williams said "I call on the Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, to intervene to stop these cuts happening and to hold the management of the hospital to account". Contact: Lloyd Williams, State Secretary, 0418 542 799 or 03 9 347 2100 |
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© 2003 Health Services Union (HSU) |
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