As per the 25-26 Victorian budget, there is no dedicated funding allocated for Transforming Trauma Victoria (TTV). While we are unsure about the full impact of this announcement, it is critical to understand that trauma has long-lasting impacts on consumers, families, carers, workforces, and across multiple social and health systems. We want to acknowledge more than 400+ consumers, family members, carers, frontline workers, and service and system leaders to participate in designing TTV strategies, and are involved in our piloting activities across regions. Without your time and effort, there will be no TTV. TTV consortium members will continue to provide services for trauma-impacted Victorians and we are united as one to ensure that every person can receive trauma-informed care and trauma-focussed services. We will continue the discussion with the Victorian Government and Ministerial Office in relation to the future for the implementation of Recommendation 23. Please refer to Phoenix Australia's statement for further information.
2025-26 State Government Budget: No funding allocated to Transforming Trauma Victoria. A key recommendation from the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health Care was to establish a statewide trauma service. Since 2023 the Transforming Trauma Victoria consortium has received substantial funding to develop the Victorian Statewide Trauma Service. As part of this funding, and in line with the recommendations of the Royal Commission there was a clear expectation that funding to operationalise this initiative would commence in the new financial year. Transforming Trauma Victoria are extremely disappointed that no dedicated funding was allocated to this important initiative in this years’ Victorian budget. Not funding this service will actually end up costing the health system more in dealing with a greater number of acute admissions. Trauma remains a huge problem in our society. It is estimated that almost 6% of Australians suffer from PTSD each year and the associated cost to our economy in lost productivity is over $17b. Despite the magnitude of this issue, our health and mental health systems are at best inadequate, and at worst can cause additional trauma for some. Transforming Trauma Victoria represents the collective wisdom of consumers, families, carers and the broader health and wellbeing sector into how we can improve the system. Hundreds of individuals have contributed to this initiative, including significant investment from those with a lived and living experience of trauma. We’d like to particularly acknowledge all of those who have entrusted us with their personal experiences of trauma and provided invaluable insight and guidance into ways the service system can be improved. As a consortium we remain committed to the TTV initiative and working collaboratively to improve the lives of those impacted by trauma. We now seek the ongoing commitment of the Government to implement Recommendation 23 of the Royal Commission through the establishment of the statewide trauma service. Enterprise Professor Nicole Sadler Co-Chair | Transforming Trauma Victoria Executive Council | ttvic.org CEO Phoenix Australia
So disappointing.