SUICIDE PREVENTION

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (14:53): As a supplementary question, given the minister's answer, particularly with respect to the Riverland, can the minister advise why the health department of the South Australian government, of which she is a cabinet minister, has no data or information on issues surrounding suicide in that region or indeed in any other region? Secondly, post the drought, can the minister explain why it still has no data or inter-agency working groups on this matter, even though there are still serious suicide issues occurring?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (15:54): I do not know whether those assertions are true or not. I will refer them to the Minister for Health and bring back a response. Nevertheless, the point that I was making was that there were considerable resources committed, considerable services rolled out, considerable acknowledgement from those living through the crisis there in terms of their appreciation of how valuable those resources were, and yet the Hon. Robert Brokenshire still refuses to make any acknowledgement of those valuable services that the government contributed.