20-year-old Emily Green – the Greens candidate for the seat of Dunkley at the upcoming federal election – knows first-hand what it’s like to live with anxiety.  

She moved schools several times before leaving home at 17, and her struggle with agoraphobia – an anxiety disorder characterised by a fear of open spaces – has made Green       a passionate advocate for more available mental health services. 

 The current system, which allows 10 Medicare–rebated psychologist visits for those diagnosed with a mental disorder by their doctor, is not enough, says Green.  

 “I think it [mental health care] needs to be something that is implemented just as seriously as a liver, heart or kidney condition. Mental health affects your lifespan so I think it [the current mental health care plan] needs extending to at least 15 [sessions].” 

 Green links mental health issues to a low federal minimum wage and Newstart allowance, which she has accessed in the past.  

 She predicts that increasing Newstart by $75 a week will reduce stress on young workers, allowing them to buy the necessary medication. 

 Youth Affairs Council Victoria representative Thomas Feng says Newstart allowance has remained unchanged for 25 years while the number of young Australians working full-time has halved. He says this puts their mental health at risk. 

 Green is eager to create better conditions for the disabled, drug addicts, the homeless, and domestic abuse victims. She has suggested cutting funding to sport in order to provide tailored support for those affected. 

 “Sport is definitely important but I don’t think it’s more important than supporting domestic abuse survivors,” she says. “I know many times I’ve gone into council meetings and all that has been talked about is sport and how sport helps the youth when that’s not true.” 

 This is in contrast to the current Government, which has committed $158 million in the 2019-20 Federal Budget to community participation initiatives in sport.  

 An extra $40 million was earmarked to continue the Sporting Schools program until 2020. Sport Australia chair John Wylie has described Sporting Schools as “a vital catalyst for improving the health of young Australians”. 

 According to a 2016 VicHealth publication on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, participating in community sport is associated with “fewer depressive symptoms, better mental and social health, teamwork skills, social interaction and feelings of belongingness”. 

 VicSport representative Jasmine Richwol says “sporting clubs create an environment where people feel they are a part of something”, provide a platform for leadership skills and get young people “off their devices and out of the digital space”.  

 Having lived in Dunkley her whole life, Green was inspired to join the Greens in 2018, when she saw that politics was “not as honest as it should be”.  

 She admits that it takes time in politics to be “sure of absolutely everything you are talking about”. She answers several of The Junction’s policy questions by saying she would “figure it out once elected” or was “not quite sure”. 

 One thing she is certain of: “Environmental problems are definitely number one. That’s something that needs to be addressed not in 10 years, not in 15, but right now.” 

 As a self-identified environmentalist, Green says she was brought to tears by students participating in the recent School Strike 4 Climate action.   

 “It reminded me of myself when I was younger,” Green says wistfully. “I would’ve been up the front, yelling the loudest.”  

 Green says the first thing she aims to do if elected is to push for a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS). 

 A CDS was previously introduced in the Victorian Parliament by former Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens and South Eastern Metropolitan Region representative Nina Springle, who Green calls a friend and mentor. 

 Springle had three attempts at introducing a CDS before taking the policy to the 2018 Victorian state election, where she lost her seat.  

 Springle has since left the Greens over “deep-seated cultural issues”, as outlined in a Facebook post on April 8. 

 “The scheme is such a simple concept,” says an undeterred Green. “I think it’s ridiculous it hasn’t been done yet.” 

In June 2018, a Senate standing committee published a report on the waste and recycling industry, recommending that the Australian Government introduce a national CDS.  

 Dr Annett Finger, a campaigner with the Boomerang Alliance, says Victorians are missing out on over $50 million in funding by not implementing the recommendation. 

 Finger supports the introduction of a national CDS, but says the proposition recently announced by the ALP is counter-intuitive given it won’t force states such as Victoria and Tasmania to participate. 

 She says the current reasons the Government has not implemented the scheme, including the claim that Victoria does not have a litter crisis, are incorrect and “not good enough in our book”.