Mental Health Beds

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:31): Supplementary to that, given the minister's statement today to the house: are the five extra beds currently open at the Margaret Tobin Centre flex beds or are they fully funded; and if they are only flex beds, will the government fully fund them?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:32): They are flex beds and they are unfunded. We will continue to keep them open as long as we have the demand for acute mental health beds that we currently have. They will remain open as long as we have people waiting in emergency departments as a demonstrated need to keep those beds open but, no, they are not funded and keeping them open is certainly creating a cost pressure that my department has to manage.