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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Thursday, 11 March 2004) . . Page.. 1092 ..

focused on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and leisure and recreational programs.

The government has commissioned a number of investigations into the status of mental health services in the ACT and ACT Health is working to implement all the recommendations of those reviews aimed at continuing to improve mental health services. The government has fulfilled requests by the Assembly, in particular by the chair of the Standing Committee on Health, Ms Tucker, for regular reports on progress in its implementing the recommendations arising from the Mann-LaRoche report into the psychiatric services unit at the Canberra Hospital.

The government also provides the Assembly with reports regarding the recommendations made by the Health and Community Services Complaints Commission. The government is committed to an open and transparent analysis of the problems and opportunities for improvement in all areas of health, including mental health. This is, I have to say, in marked contrast to the previous administration.

Most recently the Chief Minister established an interdepartmental committee to explore the full range of issues around the appropriate management and care of forensic mental health clients, in response to the public commentary and debate we have seen in recent weeks. This is an extremely complex and emotive issue, and one which has been the focus of media interest over recent weeks and months.

I think it is worth saying, Mr Speaker, that all involved acknowledge that there is no one simple solution to the complex needs of this group of clients who have very particular requirements for support, accommodation and clinical care. It is also worth making the point that the viewpoints of carers and the viewpoints of consumers themselves will not always necessarily align. We need to be conscious of these needs and the needs of the wider community and not respond with a knee-jerk response.

I do not wish to pre-empt the findings of the interdepartmental committee, which is due to report to the Chief Minister shortly, but I can assure the Assembly that this matter is being taken very seriously by the government. We are committed to developing ways to ensure that forensic mental health clients have access to the safest and most appropriate care we can provide. In his comments, Mr Smyth raised issues about where these beds were. Currently the arrangement is for beds provided by the Hunter Mental Health Service in New South Wales.

We are not content to rest on these past improvements. We acknowledge there is still a long way to go to reverse the damage and neglect of previous years. We continue to look to the future and to develop a strong and strategic direction for the delivery of mental health services across the territory.

The draft ACT mental health strategy and action plan 2003-2008 will be launched in the next few months and it provides directions for improving the mental health of all Canberrans. The release of this document has been postponed to allow significant community and consumer input. The mental health strategy and action plan has been developed in consultation with a wide range of health professionals, consumers, carers, community organisations, other government agencies and the general public. All parties have worked together to achieve a genuine collaborative agreement on mental health

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