EATING DISORDER SERVICES

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the minister representing the Minister for Health regarding public consultation for the new model of care for eating disorders.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: In 2011 members would be well aware that the proposed closure of ward four 4GP, the Flinders hospital's specialty eating disorder unit, was rightly met with widespread community concern. Following this community backlash, the government acquiesced. It was certainly reported by the then minister representing the minister, the Hon. Gail Gago, to this chamber on Thursday 23 June and recorded in Hansard that:

SA Health commissioned an independent consultant to develop a statewide model of care, working closely with the reference group that included clinicians, non-government and university representatives, consumers and carers.

She went on to say:

I think there has been extensive consultation right throughout. Over 150 people, I am advised, were consulted as part of a development of the new model.

Upon hearing interjections, I believe from the Hon. Stephen Wade as reflected in Hansard, the minister went on to say—and certainly I was pleased to hear this, as she was at the time:

I was pleased to be informed that the service model is now complete and will be released to stakeholders.

As part of this consultation, as we heard, over 150 people were involved in the consultations. Attendees at the three-day conference were told that they would in fact, as the minister assured us here in this chamber, receive progress and be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the new model of care. However, currently SA Health has on its website a page calling for consumers, carers and anyone with an interest in eating disorders to offer their feedback as part of the department's public consultation by the close of business Wednesday 6 March 2013—obviously last Wednesday.

This week I have heard from people who are rightly distressed that they were not contacted, they having attended the conference, and in fact one received an email from the department which stated:

Those people involved with the model of care and attending conferences in 2012 were not contacted.

The email goes on to encourage that person to get in touch with others who attended the conference and let them know that their new closing date for feedback was extended, in fact, to today (Tuesday 19 March). I believe now that it has been extended again to Friday 29 March. However, I draw the minister's attention to the fact that the website still states as of 3.15 this afternoon that the deadline is, in fact, 6 March for this public consultation. My questions are:

1. Was this a departmental or governmental stuff-up? Does it make a mockery of the then minister representing the minister's guarantees given to this chamber that there would be adequate consultation?

2. Were those and will those who attended the conference ever be contacted by the department or does the department now expect that this particular consumer will, in fact, try to remember the names of the people they sat with and get hold of them somehow, or will the government undertake to ensure that everyone who attended those conferences whose details were taken down will be consulted and communicated with in a timely manner to ensure that they can have adequate feedback?

3. When will the minister ensure that the deadline will be updated on the website?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:26): I thank the honourable member for her ongoing interest in these matters and for her very important question to the Minister for Health and Ageing in another place about eating disorders and their service model for eating disorders and public consultation. I note that the honourable member said in her introductory remarks that the department has responded by extending the deadline which is entirely appropriate—twice, I think she said.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: To an individual by an email.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I am not aware of the communication the honourable member asserted she had with this individual or any other individuals and whether any other individuals were involved, but certainly I can take that question to the member in the other place and seek a response about that. But in terms of her colourful remarks about whether this was a departmental or otherwise stuff-up, the obvious answer is neither.

There may be some very good reasons why the website was not updated; there may be some very good reasons why the public consultation over the service model was continuing in another fashion and not put up on the website. That I don't know about and that I will have to seek a response about. Whether people who participated in public consultation in 2012 at the three-day conference, I think the honourable member said, whether that was supposed to be part of the original consultation and whether the website consultation process was something additional, again—

The Hon. T.A. Franks interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Again, I don't have the details of that but that is something I can also take to the member in the other place, the Minister for Health and Ageing. The consultation process is certainly one that we take very seriously in government and, in fact, we are often criticised (and I have been) in this place for consulting too much and not cracking on with things. I guess when you are being criticised for both levels of inaction and over consultation, you know you have probably got the mix about right. But the honourable member has raised some important questions which I undertake to take to the minister in another place and seek a response on her behalf.