Eating Disorders Association of South Australia

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Health. Is the minister aware that the Eating Disorder Association of South Australia will close at the end of this month? What steps is the minister taking to ensure that South Australians with eating disorders and their families continue to have access to community-controlled services and advocacy support?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:00): I just need to check, as there was a group that came to see me with regard to funding. I'm not sure if it's the same group the member for Morphett is talking about. We had a good discussion, and I think they were talking about restructuring so that they would be able to bid for the normal NGO funding that the department puts out in this particular area; so, we had a good discussion. I wasn't aware that they were proposing to close. I think, from memory, they were talking about actually coming together with another group, but I'm happy to have a look at it and come back.

With all our funding, the government does fund organisations to provide services on behalf of the Department of Health. We put that out to tender; any organisation can bid for it, and sometimes, when they are unsuccessful through the normal tender process, organisations either have to significantly restructure or, indeed, fold because another organisation has been successful in securing funding. That is just the way sometimes the cookie crumbles, but I'm more than happy to have a look at it.

My main priority would be to make sure that there's continuity of services. I'm not that concerned about an individual organisation, but I do want to make sure that the services, whatever services they were or are providing, are able to continue, so I'm happy to have a look at it. I do recall meeting with, I think, this particular organisation several weeks ago.