Regional Mental Health Services

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. What additional rural mental health support is the government offering primary producers who are facing tough drought and frost conditions?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:01): I thank the member for Frome for this important question. As the Treasurer has outlined in relation to a number of questions that were asked this week in relation to drought response, this is something that obviously the state government is taking seriously, continuing to monitor the situation. Certainly, in terms of our healthcare services, we obviously have healthcare services and mental healthcare services right across the state that provide care for people who need it, day in, day out.

I certainly haven't been advised that we have seen any increase in demand to date in terms of drought responses, but that is certainly something that is and will be monitored both by our local health networks across the state and our six, in particular, regional healthcare networks and also by the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist. I will certainly be seeking and monitoring advice from the Chief Psychiatrist, Dr John Brayley, if there is a need for particular focused programs in addition to the mental health services that we have across the state that can provide responses.

There is a number of mental health services already being expanded in regional areas. I note, for instance, that expansion we have already undertaken in Port Pirie in terms of a walk-in centre, and it is about to be added to by a federal Head to Health centre there. Similarly, there is a centre in Mount Gambier as well, providing those services for people who otherwise might not have been able to access those services locally.

All of our healthcare networks are also implementing and working through with the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist the recommendations that we had from the independent review in terms of regional mental health care services. I understand that there has been significant progress made against a number of those recommendations as well.

This is something that we will continue to monitor. I would say, particularly in relation to issues such as a drought response, that these are always long-term responses that are needed as well. There is not an immediate short and quick and over response. We need to think about these things in terms of years. It is something I know you, sir, yourself know in terms of bushfire responses on Kangaroo Island. It is certainly something we have seen in terms of flood responses as well. It is certainly something that we will be considering in terms of any drought responses, that there would be the long term that we would need to consider.

I would note as well that the member for Elder, in her role as the Premier's Advocate for Suicide Prevention and the Chair of the Suicide Prevention Council, is obviously taking a keen interest in terms of these matters, in terms of regional suicide prevention and working with our suicide prevention networks across the state and also across the government in relation to the world-leading Suicide Prevention Act that we have.

In relation to our world-leading Suicide Prevention Act that we have in this state that mandates that all government departments need to have suicide prevention strategies in place, I thank the member for Elder for the work that she is doing, together with the council. She has been very much on the front foot in terms of engaging with, connecting with and visiting regional areas as part of the work of the Suicide Prevention Council, and that will certainly continue.