About 350 members of the Health And Community Services Union (HACSU) attended a state-wide meeting and marched to Parliament House on May 2.
The event was held in defiance of the state government’s attempt to shut down the union's campaign against government attacks by using legal processes in Fair Work Australia.
The HACSU has been campaigning to defend jobs and ratios in the mental health system that will be slashed under proposed government cuts.
The HACSU’s campaign website said: “The reality is the demand for mental health services in Victoria is rising at more than double the pace of funding. Staff are dedicated and work hard, but simply don’t have the resources to cope with community demand, particularly within growth areas.
“Despite being elected on the promise to ‘fix the problems’, the state government has failed to address the chronic staff shortages in psychiatric in-patient units and community treatment teams. As such, vulnerable members of the community are not getting the care they need.
“It is time to end the government’s neglect of mental health services and make the mentally ill a priority.”
[Please visit www.bettermentalhealth.org.au for updates on the campaign.]
