Hon. Mary Wooldridge MP, Minister for Mental Health
Mary began by saying that she had a long connection to Rotary having been an Ambassadorial Scholar and that the experience had helped shape her career development. She graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with Honours, followed by an MBA at Harvard University. She has worked in business as a consultant and in government as a Senior Adviser and has brought this experience to her present role. She congratulated the Rotary Club of Carlton for their work in local community.
She then went on to say that her department had released on 8 October 2012 a document, A new Mental Health Act for Victoria – Summary of proposed reforms which outlines the government’s key reform objectives and policy intentions. The proposed reforms will put patients in public mental health services at the centre of decision-making on their treatment and recovery. With a strong focus on patient recovery the new Act will primarily address the compulsory treatment of people with significant mental illness. Key features include a focus on minimising the duration of compulsory treatment, a shared decision-making model in which all patients are presumed to have the capacity to make decisions about their own treatment, where this is not possible, they will be supported to be involved in the decision-making, provisions to allow patients to make an ‘advance statement’ to record their treatment preferences in the event that they become unwell and require compulsory treatment, and increased safeguards and oversight of services to protect the rights and dignity of people with a mental illness, including the establishment of a new Mental Health Tribunal and a Mental Health Complaints Commissioner. In addition, the Coalition Government will fund and advocacy and support service for patients receiving treatment through public mental health services.