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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4956 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

credit for the significant reforms made in mental health services since the beginning of our term. In ACT Mental Health Services, the reforms include improvements to the crisis assessment and treatment team, the establishment of a preferred point of entry to the service, improved linkages with other key agencies, the regionalisation of services and the emphasis on a case management approach. These improvements alone are addressing many of the issues raised in the committee's report.

The response outlines the Government's directions for planning mental health services in the ACT, which will be outlined in more detail in the forthcoming whole-of-Territory strategic plan for mental health. The whole-of-Territory plan will be released for community consultation in January 1998. As I made a statement to the Assembly in September, on this occasion I would simply like to highlight four specific areas of action outlined in the response. First, services to people with a dual diagnosis have been under investigation. The Government intends to develop new service models for people with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse, beginning with an investigation of interstate models of service delivery. Second, the Government has also identified partnerships between agencies providing services to people with a mental illness as a priority. For this reason, agreements are under way or planned between many key agencies providing services to people with a mental illness. These include ACT Mental Health Services and ACT Housing, and ACT Mental Health Services and non-government agencies providing services to people with a mental illness.

Third, the Government has decided that the development of a clubhouse-like model in the ACT will be considered in the context of a needs analysis. The analysis will identify which of the many models of clubhouse would best serve the needs of people with a mental illness in the ACT. Finally, the consultants examining secure care facilities in the ACT have presented a draft report to the Department of Health and Community Care. The department will soon be holding discussions with the consultants about the content of that report. These are just four of the areas of concern to the Social Policy Committee which the Government has addressed or will soon address.

I believe that the response presents a balanced and realistic view of the changes which can occur in mental health services in the ACT. It is important to realise that the Government will be addressing a number of these issues in the context of our next budget. The response outlines the proposed direction of this Government in meeting the diverse needs of those with a mental illness. In doing this, it describes the reforms already achieved and actions in train or planned. I commend the response to the Assembly and look forward to seeing the implementation of further reforms. The Social Policy Committee has shown its compassion in this area. It would be lovely to be able to make everything happen in one day, but I believe the efforts that have been made are certainly moving us in the right direction.

MS TUCKER (4.04): Obviously, I cannot have read the Government's response in detail but I have quickly skipped through it and can see that the Government has acknowledged most of the work of the committee and its recommendations, in spirit at least, although more than that in a number of cases, which I am pleased to see. As I will not have an opportunity to speak on this again, I would just like to make one or two comments about the issue of people with mental illness in the ACT.

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