Question Time

REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister for primary industries questions about anxiety.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The National Centre for Farmer Health last week released a study of more than 500 participants. It shows that if you are a farmer you are 15 per cent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, a precursor to heart disease, than someone doing another job. In 21 per cent of cases the syndrome sets in because farmers are depressed or anxious. The study recommends that, as well as health screening for farmers for physical factors like blood pressure, health workers should also screen for depression and anxiety. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why does Labor constantly close and reduce country health services when there is constant evidence that there is no lessening in demand?

2. Has the minister raised the findings of this important study with her colleague the Minister for Health and, if she has not (and I suspect she has not), will she give this house an undertaking that she will do so at her earliest possible convenience?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:19): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Indeed, health and mental health issues for South Australians and, in particular, those in country South Australia or rural South Australia, are issues very dear to my heart, not just as minister for primary industries but also previously as a former registered nurse.

This government has a solid track record in relation to its commitment to maintaining and improving the health of country people. We have invested significant funds in country areas to ensure that patients receive care close to their homes and in modern and up-to-date facilities. That is with all the challenges around the tyranny of distance and suchlike.

Compared with the last year of the Liberal government, spending on country public health services has increased by $348.2 million, or an increase of 91.5 per cent. So, this government is spending 91.5 per cent more on country public health services than the former Liberal government. That is our track record: we deliver the goods.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: So why are people still sick? It's not working: it's about outcomes not inputs.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway is making me very sick.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: The 2012-13 state budget committed $728.5 million to public health services in the country, and a range of expenditure was committed: the haemodialysis activity for rural areas; the number of procedures conducted under elective surgery; a range of minor work upgrades, such as the emergency department at Cummins, Mannum and Victor Harbor; and high voltage switch replacement at Port Pirie—a wide range of projects in addition to $1.735 million, which was spent in 2011-12 to purchase biomedical equipment, including replacement anaesthetic machines at Port Pirie, Gawler and Mount Barker, monitoring systems for Port Pirie and Gawler; and just under $1 million on biomedical equipment.

In terms of mental health, that is also an area that we have again delivered on. This government has also funded a total of 24 dedicated mental health beds in areas of country South Australia. These are new mental health beds; the former Liberal Government never provided those sorts of facilities in country areas. There were no designated mental health beds that the former Liberal government provided for country areas—none, nil.

Just in case people aren't too sure what zero designated mental health beds means by the former Liberal government—none, so that's their track record. Their track record is zero. We have funded a total of 24 new beds, and in country South Australia intermediate care services are also available for the first time ever. The former Liberal government never had that level of support for mental health services in country areas; they didn't have that sort of support there at all.

For the first time, this enables services to be provided obviously closer to where people live. While facility-based services are currently being planned, non-facility places are now available in places like Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Port Augusta, Kangaroo Island, and Port Lincoln. South Australia will obviously also benefit from the commonwealth government's recent announcement of 159 beds in places for our state's mental health system.

So, you can see, Mr President, that we will stack our track record around health and mental health services both for South Australians and, in particular, for country South Australians any day. We have delivered the goods.