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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-11-28 Daily Xml
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Mental Health Plan

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:09): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse a question in relation to the state's mental health plan.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The state's last mental health plan expired in 2012. Four years ago, in the run-up to the last election, the South Australian Labor Party promised to ask the state's Mental Health Commission to develop the South Australian Mental Health Plan 2015-20. However, 2015 came and went, and no plan appeared. Eventually, in the second half of 2016, the Mental Health Commission commenced community and stakeholder conversations on the long-awaited plan. This led to the release of a discussion paper in June this year, and public commitment to finalise the plan in October.

Notwithstanding that it is now late November, in the last sitting week, and the plan has not been publicly released, the following statement still appears on the Premier's website: 'The mental health strategic plan is proposed to be delivered in October 2017 as part of Mental Health Week.' My question to the minister is: has the state's new mental health plan been finalised?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (15:11): I thank the honourable member for her important question. The state mental health plan is an important exercise. It will set, largely, the strategic direction of mental health services in this state for many years to come. We see it taking us through to 2022, so it is important that we get it right.

I mentioned earlier that we are not going to be an outfit that just sort of rushes things out there. They need to be thought through, based on clinical advice, and need to be dealt with cogently, methodically and in a way to achieve a political objective. What we want to do is make sure we get it right, and when it comes to mental health I think we are all too aware that this is an area that is enjoying a lot more attention than it has in the past, and it needs to have a lot more attention into the future if we are going to ensure that people who need these services, and rely upon state government, publicly-owned delivered services, get the right outcomes.

I had the great pleasure only yesterday to be able to meet with a youth advisory group which has played an important role in making a contribution to the plan. I was quite taken aback yesterday evening when I got to meet with some of the contributors who have decided to have the courage, despite their own difficult circumstances, to not just dwell on their own condition but rather use their condition as an opportunity to be able to convey important messages when it comes to young people's issues in and around mental health service delivery.

These were young people who in at least two instances had rather difficult circumstances in their own lives as a result of their mental illness at a young age, and for them to have the courage to be able to come forward and make a contribution in a positive way is something I would like to acknowledge, and I most certainly commend. Consultation like that, which has taken place with young people, has occurred throughout the state—older people, younger people, people from regional and metropolitan areas, right across the state. There has been a comprehensive effort to make sure that the plan isn't something that is just cooked up, but rather a plan that has been developed in conjunction with those people who are most affected by it: clinicians, consumers, you name it.

We anticipate the plan will be released very shortly. We won't be rushing it, but it will be released shortly. We remain committed to getting this right. I put on record my thanks to Commissioner Burns for all the efforts he has undertaken and continues to undertake in this important field.

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