Traumatised frontline police will no longer have access to critical mental health support, as the Allan Labor Government forces Victoria Police to axe its planned network of health and wellbeing hubs amid a worsening crime crisis and spiralling state debt.
These hubs, announced in recent years at a cost of nearly $100 million, were designed to support the growing number of Victoria Police members on WorkCover, as well as those suffering from trauma and stress related to their duties.
Now, already overstretched officers who are dealing with home invasions, carjackings, youth crime, and machete-wielding gangs, are being told that all new and upcoming mental health and wellbeing hubs will be scrapped, as the force comes under pressure to slash spending.
Victoria Police has confirmed that, due to an "extremely challenging fiscal environment," it has made the difficult decision to close two existing hubs in Knox and Geelong and to cancel the rollout of four additional hubs.
This comes after the Victoria Police budget was cut from $4.55 billion to $4.5 billion for 2025–26, with further pressure on police to reduce spending, despite the state being in the midst of a crime crisis.
David Southwick, Shadow Minister for Police, said: "The Allan Labor Government either does not understand or simply does not care how traumatic and demanding the job of a police officer is. Police deserve real support, not budget cuts and broken promises."
"Right now, nearly 1,000 injured officers are waiting for support to return to duty. Instead of helping them, Labor has pulled the rug out from under them. You must ask: Why?"
"It simply does not make sense for Labor to cut police funding in the middle of a crime crisis, especially when there are already 1,100 police vacancies and the public is struggling to get help when they need it most."
"Labor cannot manage community safety, and Victorians are paying the price."
