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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 7 Hansard (4 June) . . Page.. 1845 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

in on cabinet budget considerations that there are a whole range of incredibly worthwhile things that it would be just wonderful for us to be able to do. I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and just conjure up the money from thin air that all of these initiatives require. It is interesting, Mr Smyth, that Mr Cahill did put some perspective around the issue of a time-out facility.

Irrespective of that, certainly the notion of a time-out facility for people who come into contact with the police as a result of their behaviour in public places or elsewhere, perhaps whilst under the influence of a substance if they are suffering issues around substance abuse as well as suffering from a mental illness, certainly represents a good option. One can ask Mr Smyth why his government, in its seven years in office, did not develop a time-out facility. One could be crass and unkind and ask Mr Smyth why, in seven years of office, the Liberal government did not do so and why he thought that this was a significant issue, why he thought that it was a priority, only when he fell into opposition.

Mr Humphries: Because you rejected the legislation to do it.

MR STANHOPE: To have a time-out facility? Garbage. It is a moot question, Mr Smyth: why did you, after seven years in government, discover that a time-out facility was a priority only when you fell into opposition? Why did you discover it only after seven years of inaction? Why did you discover only then that mental illness was an issue that affects a significant proportion of the population? Why after seven years in office did you discover that the ACT has the lowest expenditure per capita on mental health issues of any jurisdiction in Australia? Why did you allow that to happen? In your seven years in government, why did you allow this jurisdiction to fall into the situation of providing the least per capita expenditure on mental health issues of any jurisdiction in Australia, Mr Smyth? Why did you do that? Why is it that you discovered the importance of appropriate funding for mental health only when you fell into opposition?

That is why we went into the last election campaign with a cast iron commitment to expend at least $1 million over and above what you spent in the last financial year on mental health, and we will do that. We will allocate an additional $1 million to provide overdue mental health facilities for the people of the ACT. A time-out facility is a worthwhile initiative and it may well be that we can build on a proposal to establish a drying-out or night shelter at the Ainslie Village by adding a proposal to incorporate time-out facilities for people with mental illness or dual diagnosis. We will explore that possibility. There probably is a real opportunity there for us to expand the range of services that will be provided at the night shelter at the Ainslie Village by ensuring that people with mental illness or dual diagnosis also have available that option rather than being taken to the lock-up.

It does need to be remembered in relation to this matter that there are a whole range of circumstances there whereby a time-out facility for many of the people that come into contact with CATT or the police simply will not be appropriate. People cannot be directed to attend a time-out facility. People cannot be directed to attend a night shelter. People cannot be locked up against their will without due process. There are a whole range of issues around the rights of all people, including people with a mental illness.

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