Oakden Mental Health Facility

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Mental Health. Can the minister confirm that in April 2015, the very month she reassured the member for Makin that Oakden was adequately staffed, that the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association wrote to SA Health warning that the lack of services and resourcing of the older persons mental health service in the north meant that it was 'only a matter of time before an adverse event occurs'?

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:22): The letter was at the time I had the portfolio of mental health, so I think it is appropriate.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The letter wasn't forwarded to my office. It was correspondence between the chief executive of the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network and SASMOA, and it raised a number of issues, one of which happened to be regarding medical cover at the Oakden facility. The letter certainly never was forwarded to me.

I note that on the same day SASMOA, the union, did write to me—but not about Oakden. They wrote to me about the effect of the Holden closure. So, clearly the issues regarding Oakden they considered, at the time, fairly straightforward and could be dealt with at a local level, and didn't need to be escalated to the minister because they wrote to me on exactly the same day not raising the Oakden issue, but raising issues regarding the closure of Holden.