MAYORAL MINUTE NO 10/2021
COVID-19 IS IMPACTING ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH 10 AUGUST 2021
Councillors,
Our mental health is so important for our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, how we act and relate to others, as well as how we deal with daily stress.
Now more than ever, we need to protect our mental health as the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll on our community, across the state and around our country. With daily cases continuing to climb and the resulting economic crisis stemming from people unable to work, it’s easy to see why people are struggling both mentally and emotionally.
Even before the pandemic, the prevalence of mental health conditions was on the rise. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that one in four people would be diagnosed with a mental illness at some stage in their lifetime. This means that mental illness affects everyone in some way. If it’s not you who is struggling, it could be your parent/s, your child, a friend, workmate or loved one. The WHO predicts that by 2030, depression will be the leading cause of disease around the world.
More recently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey into the household impact of COVID-19. The results were unveiled just days before Sydney entered into its second lockdown. Despite smaller restrictions being introduced at that time, such as wearing a facemask, psychological distress in June 2021 was still at an all time high, with one in five Australians experiencing unhealthy levels of stress.
Council has an important role to play in supporting our community, especially their health and wellness. That’s why I’m so proud that we could launch our Keep Connected community campaign. It aims to boost locale morale through fun activities and online learning initiatives.
Council has pulled together a number of exciting online workshops, which residents can sign-up to, including kids cooking lessons, artisan bread making, gardening in small spaces, skincare and jam making, and many more. I'm also urging residents to send in a photo of a message of hope to share in an inspirational video to be circulated on social media.
Adding to this, the NSW and Federal Governments announced a joint $17 million mental health package to support mental health services. This funding is a great start, but isolation, grief, loss of routines and job security has increased the need for mental health support. At the same time, the need to protect people from COVID-19 has made it more challenging for people to access these services and to receive the specialised care that they need. I'm calling on the State and Federal Government to deliver more in this space, as residents continue to deal with the repercussions of the pandemic, now and beyond 2021.
Finally, I want to thank our mental health services who are working around the clock to support residents in their time of great need. It’s not an easy job – listening to trauma - but they do it with absolute compassion, conviction and courage.
If you are struggling at this time, please reach out. We are very lucky to have services with qualified counsellors ready to take your call at any time of the day, such as Beyond Blue, Lifeline and Kids Helpline. And we have many wonderful community resources listed in the COVID-19 updates on Council's website.
Accordingly, I move that:
MOTION:
This Mayoral Minute be received.
Dr Michelle Byrne MAYOR
