Oakden Mental Health Facility

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:14): Was one of the options considered the closure of the Oakden facility? Did the minister consider the closure of the Oakden facility before actually reading the report?

The Hon. L.A. VLAHOS (Taylor—Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:14): I have made it very clear from the very beginning that all options were on the table, and that included closure. As we know, the full government response was taken to the cabinet meeting the following Thursday, after the Easter break, and the cabinet fully adopted the recommendations in the report.

The government response was that we would close Oakden and that we would move the consumers, or the residents of Makk and McLeay, with appropriate clinical guidance at the appropriate time once Northgate was fully refurbished. We are in the process of doing that, and that is where we will be able to send a number of people in the coming months.