Protecting vital mental health services from the silence of bureaucracy

The silence that follows a funding decision

In my decades of medical practice, I have learned that the most effective healing rarely comes from a spreadsheet or a government form. It comes from connection. It comes from the ability to walk into a safe space and be heard by someone who truly understands the weight of your experience. The Listening Lounge has been exactly that for people across our state.

When I heard that this lifeline was facing a funding cliff, my immediate concern was for the patients. I know that sinking feeling when a support system vanishes into the ether. For those struggling with their mental health, the withdrawal of a trusted service is not just an administrative adjustment. It is a terrifying return to isolation. Bureaucracy does not feel the panic of a patient left without a harbour.

Why we fight for evidence based care

We are a tribe of forward thinkers. We look at the evidence, and the evidence tells us that peer-based support is not merely a nice feature of a healthcare system. It is a fundamental pillar of recovery. When the government plays games with funding, they gamble with the wellbeing of vulnerable citizens. In Parliament, I have seen too many programs cut because they did not fit neatly into a centralised box. We need to be vigilant against this.

If you find these updates on the reality of our mental health system valuable and want to see more direct advocacy from the floor of the Legislative Council, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. It provides a unique look behind the curtains of the House.

The need for transparency

I recently raised the matter of the Listening Lounge in the Legislative Council because the community deserved to know whether their support would continue. The answer provided suggested that funding would be channelled through a different organisation rather than discontinued. While this offers some relief, it highlights a recurring issue in our system. The government often shifts responsibility behind layers of procurement, leaving those on the ground anxious about whether services will actually remain open to the public.

We will be monitoring this transition closely. We cannot allow essential mental health services to be lost in the noise of shifting contracts. You can review the details of this exchange in the Legislative Council record to see how we are holding the government to their word.

Standing up for evidence based outcomes is what we do. If you share this vision of a more compassionate, science-led approach to our health system, I invite you to join Legalise Cannabis WA today. Together, we can ensure that every Western Australian has access to the support they need before the system lets them down.