Page 2679 - Week 08 - Thursday, 24 August 2006
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really providing in this area. I was pleased to hear that Dr Brown is looking to examine the need for further staff and potentially even a dual diagnosis team, which was a recommendation in the recent CAT review. I hope the government can find the means to support such a team.
I am concerned that the integration of Healthpact into the department might reduce its ability to act independently and reduce the resources it has to distribute. Unfortunately, this might mean that we will see less innovative projects funded. Again, we will be watching closely to see what impact this change has.
I am going to give some attention to mental health, which is a very important area to the Greens. Canberrans may be an educated population and a physically healthy population on the whole, but we are not a happy population. We are well above the national average when it comes to our rates of long-term mental and behavioural problems and experience higher than average levels of stress and depression.
Through the COAG agreement, the rest of Australia seems to be recognising the extent of the mental health problems in their jurisdictions and are providing record levels of investment; yet the ACT community has received only $8 million over three years in new funding from its government. This may well be a record level of ACT government funding in mental health but the community was expecting more. While the government already provides about 75 per cent of its mental health funding to community-based services, these services are seriously underfunded.
MR SPEAKER: The member’s time has expired.
DR FOSKEY: Can I take my second 10 minutes now?
MR SPEAKER: Dr Foskey, continuing.
DR FOSKEY: Mr Barry Petrovski of the Mental Health Consumer Coalition reported to the estimates committee:
In relation to the ACT 2006-07 budget, we were quite disappointed. An increase of $8 million over three years will not go very far in addressing the lack of community-based service options in the ACT. In comparison to recent funding initiatives interstate, the ACT budget reveals no real investment in adult community-based mental health services, which are desperately needed and underfunded.
It appears the majority of the $8 million will be allocated to building clinical capacity. Yes, these services are needed but they do not address the demand for sustainable community-based service options to assist people to overcome social exclusion, unemployment and poor housing and expand their recovery options which, in turn, reduces hospital admissions and reliance on clinical services.
We welcome the investment into developing a youth mental health service. The step-up, step-down facility is sorely needed for our young people. I am pleased to hear that a facility that caters for the specific needs of this age group is being developed.
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