Motions

Regional Mental Health Services

Debate resumed.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:47): I would like to make a contribution and thank the member for Mount Gambier for bringing this motion to the house, but I support the Minister for Education's amendment to the motion. It is an important motion because we know that COVID has changed the world forever. Here in South Australia, the regions have been significantly impacted, particularly those regions impacted not only by having border communities but by what it means to the general society in the regions, already being isolated. We know that has had a significant impact.

What it has shown us is that the most vulnerable are those who have been the most impacted. The elderly, by and large, have been very scared, very timid, when it comes to venturing outside their homes. In many cases, I visited some of those elderly people to have a conversation with them, just to ask them if they were okay. In other instances, I have seen people going to chemists to pick up scripts for those people, making sure they have had food dropped off and making sure they were okay.

The underlying issue has been mental health. We have heard many of those opposite talking about mental health issues and the lack of support, but there was never any coming forward with support for those mental health issues in their 16 years of government. What we are seeing now is that a Marshall-Morrison coalition has put $100 million on the table, and they are addressing some of those issues with mental health not caused on a day-to-day basis but exacerbated by the impacts of COVID.

Along the way, we have seen many communities, particularly in the regions, that have supported one another. We know that the impacts of businesses closing and financial strain have led to some of those mental health issues. More importantly, there has been a wide range of unknown impacts on the economy and the health and wellbeing of small regional communities. It has showed us that our health services have been stretched to the absolute nth degree. I want to commend SA Health and the South Australian government for the work they have done—working together to keep South Australia safe—because we are one of the safest states in the safest nation on the globe.

I also want to pay tribute to some of the mental health services that have been almost exhausted coming through the COVID pandemic: Headspace in the Riverland, ac.care, Life Without Barriers and, of course, the SA Health mental health facility at the Riverland General Hospital. They have been stretched to the limit and have had issues with staffing numbers, but we know that that is the case in every regional health centre, whether it is a hospital, a medical facility or an outreach program. It has been the case for such a long time.

We are seeing a moving dynamic, with health professionals wanting to go to the city to specialise in areas or to extend or expand their careers. I think we need to acknowledge that that has been one of the underlying issues when living in the regions, particularly with mental health through this COVID pandemic. Of course, there are challenges when living in a border community. I think a number of MPs on this side have expressed their concern about the impacts that the pandemic has had on their communities. It is about an adjustment. It is about humans understanding what needed to happen, what we had to do to keep our communities safe and what we had to do to keep COVID out of South Australia.

By and large, with all the angst that has come with the border closures and the COVID restrictions in general, I think we have handled it pretty well. I commend those communities who have had to adjust. They have had to go through some hardship, but they have got through it and have worked pretty well. What I would say is that we have got through it and now we must move on. We still have to make sure that we put everything necessary in place.

We looked at the impacts of itinerant workforces that come into seasonal jobs. I know a number of MPs who have had issues, whether it be in the red meat industry or in Chaffey with horticulture. We have seen significant strain in being able to get the numbers necessary to harvest, to process, to pack, to put into markets and to make sure our economy is robust.

We continue to support the economy. The Marshall Liberal government is putting every mechanism in place so that we can actually get a workforce into South Australia and so that we can pick our produce. We do not want to see elements of commodities falling on the ground, and we do not want to see anyone lose a dollar in any way, shape or form. We want a good, robust economy. That helps to alleviate the mental strain on people, whether it be horticulturalists and farmers, whether it be processors and packers or whether it be the spin-off service industries that rely heavily on the primary production areas to keep our economy ticking along.

Normally, the underlying factor in maintaining good mental health is people having security and certainty, being able to go out and put food on the table and having the services that they rightfully expect to have. The health impacts have been very widely documented, but I must say that South Australia has performed extremely well when it comes to the impacts of the pandemic, not only in the regional communities.

The pandemic has shown us that we are resilient, we are able to adapt and we are able to support our communities, whether it be going through a health crisis, an isolation crisis or a mental health issue. Any of us who are country MPs know that in many instances we become social workers. We talk to our communities, we listen, we knock on doors and we have people come up to us and say, 'By the way, I think the chap who lives next door to me is doing it tough. Do you think you could give us some help or give him some support?'

In many instances, we might go and knock on their door to offer them some help or support to pick up a prescription and get it filled out at the local chemist, or go up there and pick up a couple of shopping bags of food so that those people do have food and do not have to go out and feel vulnerable in an environment that is seriously questioning them, whether they are elderly or whether they have mental health issues. It is about a community coming together in some of these regional centres.

I think this is a motion worthy of commending and the amended version is the version that I will support. I think the member for Mount Gambier, in his wisdom, is going to support the amended motion and I thank him for bringing it to the house.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (12:55): I rise to support the amended motion and thank both the member for Mount Gambier and the member for Morialta for raising this motion today. Mental health services are certainly a key concern for people living in King. The negative effects of drought and bushfires, in addition to COVID-19, on the mental health and wellbeing of South Australians are significant and this is particularly evident for those living in the regional areas of the state.

Recent data reported that the Rural and Remote Mental Health Service indicated a 23 per cent increase in calls to the Emergency Triage and Liaison Service phone line and a 17 per cent increase in presentations to community mental health services from January 2019 to December 2020. The continued demand and uptake of mental health services across all age groups throughout COVID-19 highlights the impact that the pandemic is having on the mental health and wellbeing of the South Australian community.

The Marshall Liberal government has responded to the needs of regional South Australians by providing funding to increase clinical staffing in the Rural and Remote Mental Health Service, the Emergency Triage and Liaison Office and the older persons mental health rapid inreach service. The increased demand is closely being monitored and this funding will be maintained while the need remains.

Evidence suggests that care close to home improves outcomes for all consumers of health services and we will see more of that. Reducing travel to Adelaide for regional consumers is a key benefit enabling greater family and carer involvement and support. Within regional mental health, three integrated mental health units, each with six beds, are located in Whyalla, the Riverland and Mount Gambier, and these mental health units have supported evidence-based care and provided a vital expansion of country-wide acute mental health services. This model of regional inpatient care has also reduced the pressure on metropolitan-based services.

Country mental health consumers continue to receive the specialist clinical support they need through multidisciplinary community mental health teams, including assessment, treatment and coordination of care. The service is provided across the life continuum, with special services for youth, adult and older persons.

The rate of suicide by South Australians living in regional areas compared with metropolitan areas continues to be of concern. Wellbeing SA is now responsible for the implementation of the South Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy, which supports existing suicide prevention. As I mentioned at the outset, this is a key concern for people living in my electorate and thinking about people across the country, and that is why I support the amended motion.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:58): I would like to thank all speakers on this bill and close the debate.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.