Page 619 - Week 03 - Thursday, 15 March 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
course—indeed, I think this is why the opposition are so reluctant to raise issues of policy in this place—has such an excellent record at addressing the priority needs of the people of Canberra.
Let us start with mental health and the response of this government to issues around the delivery of services to people suffering a mental health issue. In the five years that we have been in government we have increased funding for mental health by 92 per cent—admittedly from a very low base; when we came to government in 2001, to the eternal shame of the Liberal Party the ACT funded mental health at a lower per capita rate than any other place in Australia. Can you believe that? Can you believe that in 2001 the ACT had the lowest per capita level of funding for mental health in Australia? We have increased that by 92 per cent and we have rectified that wrong that we inherited from the Liberal Party.
Similarly in relation to disability services: who can forget the swan song of Michael Moore and the Liberal Party in relation to disability services, the Gallop royal commission of inquiry? Who can forget that—Michael Moore swanning out of this place as the Liberal Party minister for health, resigning ahead of the release of the Justice Gallop inquiry into disability services in the ACT? Who can forget the scarifying indictment of the Liberal Party’s lack of commitment to disability services in the ACT?
Mr Smyth: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Standing order 118B says that the minister shall not debate. Will you bring him back to the question? It is his own dixer; he should at least be able to answer it.
MR SPEAKER: Come back to the subject matter of the question, Chief Minister.
MR STANHOPE: The subject matter is the continued provision of quality services to the people of the ACT. We are providing quality services in mental health and it is appropriate as a benchmark to illustrate the extent to which we are providing quality services. I refer to the change in the provision of those services over the last five years, and of course the Liberal Party are very uncomfortable with this and they will move their points of order in relation to this: a 92 per cent increase in expenditure on mental health; a 60 per cent, I think, or $60 million in toto increase in disability services following on the tabling of the scarifying Gallop commission of inquiry into disability services in the ACT; a 174 per cent increase in funding for care and protection of children. Since coming to government, we have increased funding for the care and protection of children in the Australian Capital Territory by 174 per cent, from $15 million to $43 million in recurrent expenditure a year.
That is the improvement in delivery of services that this government has delivered over the last five years. That is just a summary through mental health, and are there more important issues than this: the provision of mental health services for the people of Canberra, the provision of disability services for the people of Canberra, the provision of protection to the most vulnerable members of our community, our children? There has been a 174 per cent increase. This is what this government has delivered along, of course, with the provision of much overdue new services such as the Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre and the Gungahlin Child and Family Centre; this is of course consistent with that 174 per cent increase.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .