Following a four-hour stop work meeting, staff from Victoria's Thomas Embling Hospital marched on the office of state mental health minister Martin Foley on August 16, demanding better services, staffing and safety.
Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) state secretary Lloyd Williams said: "There is too much pressure on our staff so it means people with mental illness miss out."
He noted that 36% of mental health nurses and clinicians have been assaulted in the past year, with more than 400 violent attacks registered in the last 6 months alone. "It is time to fix mental health", said Williams.
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