Forensic Psychiatry

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services a question regarding the state's shortage of forensic psychiatrists.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: An article appearing in The Advertiser yesterday details a severe shortage of expertise in the field of forensic psychiatry in South Australia, an underappreciated but essential role when it comes to ensuring prisoners are treated with dignity. Forensic psychiatry as a subspecialty intersects criminal law and psychiatry. Practitioners treat people with serious mental illness who come into contact with the justice system and assess their mental competence to stand trial and ability to grasp criminal responsibility with the assistance of the courts. They also determine the likelihood of recidivism in an offender, and this is particularly important given the high rate of mental health issues amongst offenders in both the adult and minor jurisdictions.

The article cites Parole Board chairwoman Frances Nelson KC's assessment of the results of the shortage, in which she says, and I quote:

It can be up to three months that we are waiting for a report to be prepared on one individual…And obviously if we're waiting for a psychiatric report, the prisoner is going to wait in custody until such time we get it and assess it.

The Psychiatry Workforce Plan commissioned and released late last year by the state government recognised the critical workforce shortage in private and public psychiatric expertise, including the forensic specialty. Therefore, my questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister provide an update on the state government's recruitment campaign undertaken as a result of that workforce plan recommendation?

2. Can the minister inform the chamber as to whether there are any plans to change South Australia's rate of beds for forensic patients, which currently ranks the lowest in any Australian jurisdiction?

3. Does the minister accept that time spent in custody as a result of workforce shortages presents a much likelier outcome for recidivism?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:19): I thank the honourable member for her question. As I have highlighted in this chamber before, South Australia does have the lowest rate of reoffending in the country. But in regard to this particular matter, I appreciate her raising concerns. I am advised that, upon entering the prison system, all prisoners are assessed by DCS in conjunction with the South Australia Prison Health Service, which is part of the South Australian health network, so coordinated by SA Health.

As this is more of a SA Health matter in regard to what we are doing in this space, I am advised that the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website shows that SA has the equal highest number of forensic public mental health beds per capita in the country. The state government appreciates the important role forensic psychiatrists and psychologists play in court proceedings. The health and justice systems work closely together to monitor demand and timeframes associated with the provision of forensic reports to the court to ensure that processes are as effective as they can possibly be.

I am also advised that the state government commissioned and has recently released the Psychiatry Workforce Plan for South Australia, recognising critical workforce shortages in psychiatry across both the public and private sector, including forensic specialists. This long-term workforce plan has been developed in partnership with psychiatrists.

I am advised that the recruitment campaign is now underway and was one of the key recommendations from this plan. In addition, I am advised the plan's key findings, including recruitment shortages in the shorter term, increase in training and specific strategies for specialists in these areas, are something that they are focusing on.