Victoria shifts mental health crisis calls to paramedics and health specialists
A new protocol in Victoria will have paramedics and health professionals lead most mental health emergency callouts, with police stepping back unless safety demands their presence.
Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and the Department of Health have signed a protocol that moves the lead role in mental health emergency callouts from police to paramedics and health specialists, covering about 60,000 incidents annually. The shift, to be announced by Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt, follows criticism from the Victorian Royal Commission that police-led responses often worsen outcomes for vulnerable people.
While the health-led model is welcomed, the Victorian Ambulance Union’s Danny Hill and Mental Health Victoria’s Phillipa Thomas stress that insufficient resources and funding could hamper implementation. Police will retain authority to take a person into care when serious risk exists, but will attend only as support. The new guidelines also direct that transport to hospitals be handled by health services rather than police vehicles wherever possible.
Why it matters
Changing who leads mental health crisis calls could improve safety for vulnerable people and reduce police involvement in health matters.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTAll camps report the new protocol shifting mental-health call-outs to paramedics, but left-leaning coverage stresses the Royal Commission’s criticism of police-led responses and resource worries, centrist coverage highlights that the ambulance union was not consulted, and right-leaning coverage foregrounds union backlash over workload while framing the change as improving care and freeing police for crime.
LEFT
The shift follows criticism that police-led responses worsen outcomes and is welcomed as health-led, but may be hampered by insufficient resources and funding.
CENTER
The ambulance union was not consulted about the plan to move lead response to paramedics.
RIGHT
The paramedic-led response is intended to enhance crisis care and let police focus on crime, though the ambulance union warns it was imposed without consultation and could overburden crews.
The left emphasises
- shift follows criticism from the Victorian Royal Commission that police-led responses often worsen outcomes
- health-led model is welcomed
- insufficient resources and funding could hamper implementation
The right emphasises
- union backlash and warning that the plan could overburden ambulance crews
- change intended to enhance care for people in crisis and free police for more urgent incidents
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