The three candidates considered most likely to win the federal electorate of Nicholls have pledged their support for the Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub.
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In exclusive interviews with The Telegraph, the Nationals’ Sam Birrell, independent Rob Priestly and Liberal Party candidate Steve Brooks have all committed to advocate for Federal Government funding to secure the hub.
The hub is an initiative led by Mitchell Shire Council in partnership with Seymour Health, Nexus Primary Health and Goulburn Valley Health.
According to the council, the hub been designed as “a co-ordinated central point” to access services with the intention of “improving the community’s health and wellbeing … (to) break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage in Seymour”.
If developed, the hub will offer services such as mental health support, veteran care (including a suicide prevention program), family violence support, youth services and on-site health and wellbeing services.
The facility has also been earmarked as an appropriate space for a community dental service, library and consulting rooms.
Mitchell Shire Council has costed the hub at $23 million and has already allocated land. It is now seeking $14 million from the Federal Government and $9 million from the Victorian Government to turn the plan into a reality.
Last week Mr Brooks was in Seymour to visit the site and described the hub as “a perfect fit”.
“There are so many boxes that this community asset can tick,” he said.
“It's a really perfect fit for what Seymour needs as a growing town and … (will) support families in a meaningful way, reduce those trips to Shepp or peri-urban Melbourne and get those services right here.”
Already Mr Brooks has been quick to showcase the proposal to government and has discussed the project with Social Services Minister Anne Ruston.
“She was really supportive,” Mr Brooks said.
“The questions that she asked showed that she had a real interest in seeing this move forward and you know at the end of it after she'd asked questions, she said ‘I can see the value in this project’.
“I’m really proud that I could have facilitated that and I'm glad that a federal minister is now looking at that project.”
Mr Birrell is similarly supportive of the Wellbeing Hub and wants to see it built.
“I think this is the way to go,” he said.
“The Wellbeing Hub will have a number of different services that look after people as a whole and doesn’t just focus on a particular ailment. It tries to look at what’s happening in a person’s life overall ... and connections with other people that can improve mental health.”
Mr Birrell was also excited about the hub’s potential “to put all the services together so people aren’t running all over town to see a different person for a different thing”.
When pressed why the Nationals would be a better delivery partner for the hub, Mr Birrell focused on his faith in the party’s ability to secure regional funding and the advocacy he was already doing with Nationals ministers about the project.
“I would argue that if it wasn't for the Nationals, the buckets for the regional infrastructure wouldn't exist,” he said.
“The way it works in Canberra is that the Coalition Government has funding priorities and a strong Nationals party in that Coalition Government ensures that the money doesn't all go to metropolitan areas.”
Independent Rob Priestly believes the hub is a “a really thoughtful and important piece of infrastructure”.
“Government should be all about facilitating and delivering the solutions that the community wants. And … this is it,” he said.
“If elected, I’m going to use all of my grit and tenacity and whatever else I've got in my kit bag to try and make that happen.”
Mr Priestly was also optimistic about the central and positive role the hub could play in the community.
“It de-stigmatises the issue of seeking help and it physically places it in a pleasant, obvious and central location,” he said.
“It becomes part of people's daily lives and it normalises engaging in constructive change.”
Mr Priestly also committed to “leverage” any potential negotiating power in a new parliament to advocate for infrastructure such as the hub.
Mitchell Shire Council, meanwhile, is desperate to see funding for the hub to emerge.
“The people of Seymour and the surrounding region have gone without locally based services for too long,” Deputy Mayor Fiona Stevens said.
“The Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub will employ a ‘no wrong door’ model, helping to remove any stigma related to reaching out and getting help.
“This is a place that will transform lives but to make it a reality we need an investment of $23 million from state and federal governments.”
The Victorian Government was also contacted for comment.