Borderline Personality Disorder

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (17:56): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises that the first week of October each year has been declared Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week; and

2. Acknowledges that the Australian Borderline Personality Disorder Foundation, through ongoing advocacy from Ms Janne McMahon OAM, Dr Martha Kent and Associate Professor Andrew Chanen, has been fundamental in promoting understanding of the disorder in the community and working towards better treatment options and quality of life for those affected by the disorder.

I rise very briefly today to note that the first week of October each year has been declared Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week and to comment that that week has just recently passed in South Australia.

I note that there was a conference held at the Flinders University which I was unable to attend, but at which my staff member represented me. It was opened by former Greens senator Penny Wright and it certainly looked to be quite an outstanding event. I am not sure whether other members of this place were able to attend that conference, but I look forward to their contributions in which they make the council aware of that fact.

I speak today to raise awareness about borderline personality disorder. A week is a very fine way of doing so, and I note that the first week in October (1 to 7 October) is indeed on the federal health calendar as a nationwide event. Those members of the council who remember the debate on a very similar motion last year might remember that the Labor members of this place did not recognise this week and suggested that in fact BPD, yet again, be subsumed within the overall mental health awareness week. I note that the mental health awareness week is also currently in train but that the dates are slightly different and, while there is overlap, they are distinct areas that should both receive awareness.

At the time, the Labor members of this place sought to amend the motion, noting that they would be exploring ways for improving networking of South Australian borderline personality disorder experts, rather than recognising the week. This motion today is an opportunity for this council to yet again recognise Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week as the first week in October and to update all members and the South Australian community as to how awareness was raised around BPD in this week.

I look forward to Labor members coming back and telling us how the government has improved networking for the South Australian borderline personality disorder experts, what involvement they had with the conference that was held at Flinders University on 2 October and what updates they have on the proposal for a specialised unit.

The Hon. Kelly Vincent, the Hon. Stephen Wade and I have certainly renewed our calls for a dedicated specialised service for borderline personality disorder as part of our commitment to BPD awareness. We do so because we know that this is a diagnosis that affects somewhere between 17,000 and 68,000 South Australians and that there are major gaps in the service provisions throughout our state for this population, particularly in rural and remote settings but also in the metropolitan area.

We also wanted to pay tribute to those lives lost—some nine deaths at least in the last 36 months that we know of, many of which need not have occurred. Also there are those very sad suicides, which, of course, have a flow-on effect of devastation, sadness and loss for the families, friends, loved ones and colleagues of those people who found themselves in the position of taking their own life.

We look forward to the Labor government contributing to this motion. I certainly am keen to hear about the work that is being undertaken. We know that those who are working very hard to raise awareness about BPD and to get adequate services in this state are looking forward to seeing what this government has to offer as a contribution, not just to this debate but, of course, to the disorder overall. With that I commend the motion to the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.

Sitting suspended from 18:02 to 19:47.