The Victorian opposition has promised to set up a grants program for community mental health organisations if elected, with a focus on regional outreach services.
Under the scheme, regional Victorian local government areas would be allocated $1 million each in grants, while metropolitan Melbourne LGAs would receive $500,000 each.
Opposition spokeswoman on mental health Emma Kealy said the state government had "forgotten" about regional mental health services.
"We know that people have to travel, or our organisations have to travel to individuals, to access services … that's why we know there's a greater investment required in regional Victoria," she said.
The opposition said the plan would cost $100 million over the next four years.
"No matter which corner of the state you lived in, you would have access to mental health support services or alcohol and other drug support services," Ms Kealy said.
Capacity building in the regions
As part of the scheme, several organisations would receive money to expand their services into new regions.
John Parkinson co-founded south west Victorian grassroots organisation Let's Talk six years ago.
Let's Talk is set to receive $1.2 million if the opposition are elected later this month, to expand its services into Glenelg and the southern Grampians.
"What we will do is capacity build within every [one] of those communities, so they're more self-sufficient as time moves forward," Mr Parkinson said.
"We're trying to get the community to take greater care for itself so we don't need the systems of care that are currently being stretched to the max."
A state government spokesperson said the recommendations of the royal commission into Victoria's mental health system were being implemented.
"You can’t trust Matthew Guy’s Liberals on mental health — they want to cut $3.7 billion from mental health funding, which would leave thousands of vulnerable Victorians without the mental health care they desperately need," the spokesperson said.
"Matthew Guy's cruel plans to leave a black hole in our mental health system would see 2,500 jobs instantly cut from the mental health sector, including 100 psychiatry registrars, 400 mental health nurses, 300 psychologists and 600 extra allied health clinicians."
