Rural Psychiatric Services

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:42): Supplementary: what steps then will the minister take to develop a rural mental health service plan in relation to that review?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:42): I already outlined that we are doing a plan in relation to the psychiatry workforce in South Australia. That was one of our election commitments. That work is underway and it will not only pay benefits in terms of metropolitan areas but regional areas as well and then we are following up each of the recommendations.

There has already been a SA Health response that has been put out to the findings of that review. There are a number of matters of that review connected to the psychiatry workforce that would need to form part of consideration in relation to industrial arrangements. One of the factors that the review and the reviewers themselves in my discussions with them have raised is around private practice arrangements. Obviously, there is an industrial agreement that is connected to those. That would, obviously, have to feature as part of any negotiations in relation to a new enterprise agreement with the Salaried Medical Officers Association, but there are other elements we can work on in the meantime and we certainly are doing so.