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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-09-22 Daily Xml
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Mental Health Services

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:26): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing regarding mental health.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Last Thursday, the Mental Health Commissioner, David Kelly, raised serious concerns about our COVID-19 mental health response, including a lack of support for international students, people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and all South Australians. SA Health Chief Executive, Dr McGowan, told ABC radio on Friday that in response to the commission's report he asked the Chief Psychiatrist to meet with mental health services and consider various solutions, including buying private beds and moving more patients into rehabilitation services. My questions to the minister are:

1. When was the minister first made aware of the commissioner's concerns?

2. What actions did the minister take to respond to those concerns?

3. Will the minister guarantee there will be no repercussions for the three Mental Health Commissioners continuing to publicly voice their concerns?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:27): In terms of the comment about international students, my understanding is that the honourable member is misrepresenting the concerns raised by Mr Kelly. My understanding is it was in relation to the stress that international students experience in terms of income supports. That matter is more a matter, as I understand it, for the minister for industry and trade in his role as supporting international education.

The South Australian Marshall Liberal government has had mental health as a very strong priority in its COVID response. I would say it has been impressively broad in its approach. Of course, the pandemic presents particular challenges for people with acute mental health issues. So that's why, under the leadership of the Chief Psychiatrist, there was a virtual mental health support network established. This includes support lines, call-back services and an online chat service as well as individual and group counselling. The support line is staffed by paid counsellors who receive calls and provide—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —a call-back service for people in distress because of COVID-19. The government also took a very broad approach, realising that all South Australians will experience stress in relation to COVID-19 and that it was important to support their general wellbeing. So under the very able leadership of Minister Speirs in another place, the government also had an Open Your World strategy.

In terms of Mr Kelly's comments, I understand that he was raising particular concerns about mental health services for older South Australians, and in that regard the challenge of providing mental health services to older South Australians is with us, with or without a pandemic. It is significantly exacerbated by a pandemic because of the visible limitations put in place, and of course—

The Hon. C.M. Scriven: When was the minister first made aware of the commissioner's concerns? That was the question.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. S.G. WADE: —the stress of the pandemic itself. I met with the Mental Health Commissioners probably about six weeks ago. A range of issues were raised in relation to the pandemic, including the matters the honourable member refers to. We as a government have strengthened the Mental Health Commission. We have established three Mental Health Commissioners to provide even greater depth in terms of the Mental Health Commission. We always respect the role of the Mental Health Commission as an independent voice, particularly for expressing the perspectives of people with lived experience of mental illness, and of course I take the observations of the Mental Health Commissioners seriously.

The PRESIDENT: Before I call on business of the day, I indicate to members that we need an absolute majority of members in the house for the next few moments. The Treasurer has the call.

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