Chain-link fencing, NSW Government bunting, scaffolding and an influx of workers has marked the start of construction on Tamworth multimillion-dollar brand new Mental Health Unit.
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Welcoming the start of works on the new facility is the culmination of an incredible effort by local advocates who came to me back in 2017 passionate to improve the quality of inpatient mental health care in Tamworth and the region.
At that time, they'd been advocating for more than two decades to improve mental health services in the region, and they deserve a great deal of credit for the work they've done for the region.
In 2018, the group led by Don and Di Wyatt, Anne Warden, Gail Zammit, Joan Wakeford, Joyce Vernon, Lyn Bentley, Marg Rankin and more spent weeks collecting more than 13,000 signatures knocking on doors petitioning the government to build a new facility in Tamworth.
That work paid off with a commitment from the former government to build a new facility, and I was thrilled that the new government continued that good work after funding was locked away in the Coalition's last budget.
This includes the 37 beds our community had been calling for, including four beds for children and adolescents, eight beds for seniors, 20 bed adult area, and five bed adult high acuity zone.
The government are telling us this will be an 18-month build, which means we will be opening our brand-new mental health facility in 2025.
Meanwhile, I'm continuing my push to have the existing Banksia building kept in public hands and repurposed for drug and alcohol services for the region. This is so important because we currently do not have the appropriate facilities to treat those tackling with addiction.
The work continues and I'll continue to work with our community groups to ensure our region gets the facilities and services we deserve.
In the meantime, the NSW Nationals are continuing to raise the issue of crime in regional NSW and calling on the government to commit to a rural crime inquiry.
I've been calling for more resources for the region to help police get on top of crime, and this inquiry would be a fantastic opportunity to rise our issues further.
We'll continue putting pressure on the government until they listen to the voice of our community and address the very real issues we are facing.
