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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-13 Daily Xml
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MENTAL HEALTH WEEK

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Can the minister advise the house on events during Mental Health Week this year?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:09): I thank the member for Morialta for her question and her advocacy for those patients with mental health issues and their families whom I know she has campaigned for many times within her electorate and has supported the reforms that the Rann government have implemented for the benefit of these families across the whole state. As she would know, last week was Mental Health Week which is an opportunity to put the spotlight on mental illness in our community and increase public awareness about the issues relating to these diseases. Each year this is done in a way which produces major events across the community to promote discussion and education about mental illness, its treatment and its prevention.

Statistically, as members would know, one in five members of our community will have the impact of mental health affect them individually at some stage during their life. Of course, for every member of the community who becomes afflicted by a mental illness, their whole family—their children, parents and siblings—is also affected by this disease.

More significant for some than the actual disease is the problem of stigmatisation and discrimination that they face when they discuss their treatment. That is why the theme for Mental Health Week this year was poignant in that the organisers challenged us to 'Open your mind. You can make the difference.' This means that we, as a community, are being asked to consider how we might help those people around us who are living with a mental illness.

The Rann government has committed more than $250 million since coming into office to rebuild, renew and restructure our mental health services and facilities across the state. We have started work on the Glenside and Noarlunga intermediate care centres—the first two of four centres planned for the metropolitan area. These centres are an integral part of the new stepped model of care as recommended by the Social Inclusion Board's Stepping Up report.

Intermediate care centres will help those patients who are becoming unwell hopefully well before they reach crisis point and the need for acute hospital care, avoiding that sort of hospitalisation. In addition, they can also support those patients with mental illness who are leaving hospital but need additional support to reintegrate within the community before they return home to normal life.

However, while this reform of our state's mental health system is significant, there is still much that can be done to reduce the stigma and discrimination for many people living with mental illness—the sort of discrimination they may experience daily. Many of the events in Mental Health Week had a focus on stigma reduction and were well received by those members of the community involved in those activities.

I had the pleasure of giving the awards for the Dr Margaret Tobin Award scheme. This is a poignant award, commemorating the life and reform agenda of Dr Margaret Tobin. For those who knew her well the choice of the award form was significant—a brooch designed by Zu Design in Gays Arcade—in that she loved these types of jewellery.

The community groups, families, carers and organisations that were involved in supporting those recovering from mental illness worked beyond expectations to receive these awards and I congratulate all of them on their tireless efforts. It was interesting to see that there were poetry competitions, songwriting competitions and, at one event I attended, we heard a song called 'Mulberry Road', an award-winning effort, written by artist Jayne West.

There were also art competitions and a music event at the Gov—that great music venue at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel. There was a community cook-off and much talk about the impact of food and diet on people's wellbeing as well as exercise. All these issues are important, as are the opportunities to provide information, peer education and learning opportunities for those working with mental health issues, as well as supporting families and the broader community where these issues are significant.

This year again I thank the Mental Health Coalition. They have been involved in arranging these events—not just the venues but the speakers—guaranteeing that the information has been widely disseminated. I know that the member for Morialta was involved in these events and has been supportive throughout the time she has been in parliament. She has been a great advocate for reform in the mental health sector and the support needs of those families afflicted by mental illness, and I thank her for that advocacy.

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