Drought, Mental Health

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:10): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. When will the government implement its comprehensive strategy to boost mental health and resilience in drought-affected areas? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: Three months ago, the government promised relief to farmers by committing, and I quote, '$2.5 million for an immediate and comprehensive strategy,' which is separate to rural financial counselling support.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:11): We are rolling that out now. I am happy to bring back a further update in terms of the exact measures, but just in fact today I had an updated meeting with the Chief Psychiatrist, the Mental Health Commissioner and also department staff who are busily working on this, who have contracts in place with a number of different providers, to get those services out to the community.

Just one of those elements I can speak to off the top of my head is the government is doing work with the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation. They are rolling out a number of services directed at farmers, particularly learning from their experience that they have undertaken in the wake of the bushfires on Kangaroo Island and in the Adelaide Hills and just on the weekend undertook the first of those sessions in the Mallee region, together with Chris McDermott. It was very well attended. John Mannion from Breakthrough foundation told me that there were over 40 different farmers and regional people who attended that session and had a really good outcome in terms of connecting with the community. Those sessions will be running out across regional South Australia as just one of the many, many measures that are part of that funding.