Page 3429 - Week 08 - Thursday, 23 August 2012
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health. If a person is living on a low income, they are less likely to engage in healthy lifestyles. And then, once they start to get sick, they are less likely to receive medical treatment through primary healthcare services, and their illnesses can escalate to emergency levels because of a lack of intervention. This is an area which must be addressed if we are to invest in health in a smarter way.
The Greens are pleased to see an additional $1 million per annum recurrent for both mental health and cancer services. Mental health is a priority area, with mental illness making up 12 to 14 per cent of the burden of disease. This is also a recommendation in the estimates report. I believe that by increasing funding to mental health we are not only increasing services, but also recognising that mental health is an illness that can be treated and addressing the stigma that is still associated.
Over the last four budgets, the Greens have pushed the mental health funding target in the parliamentary agreement, and have secured about $50 million in new funds.
While I continue to refer to the need for a greater focus on prevention and recovery services for mental illness, I am very pleased that the government has recommitted to developing the secure forensic mental health unit. A number of detainees have, most inappropriately I believe, been held in the AMC’s crisis support unit for long periods, despite it not being a therapeutic environment. The Greens have from the start argued that there is a need for a secure mental health facility in the ACT, as have a range of mental health and other groups, and that having such a facility will have a significant impact on the way we assist people with a mental illness and ensure this is done in a proper environment.
Cancer funding has steadily increased over the years. Given the increasing number of people who are surviving cancer, it is important that the government recognise the increase in demand for post-cancer illnesses. Lymphoedema is one of them, and the clinic at Calvary has been under pressure. It is an important public service, and we need to ensure that people get timely access to this service as, left untreated, lymphoedema becomes harder to treat and hampers recovery from the cancer itself. Private services are often too expensive for people to access, which is why having a properly resourced public service is vital. The Greens recently announced an election initiative to provide an extra $150,000 a year for the lymphoedema clinic at Calvary hospital, which would increase the number of therapists from about 1.5 to 2.5 or three full-time equivalents.
There has been much media in recent weeks about the new women’s and children’s hospital. The new birthing clinic has increased from three to five rooms; however, there are still many women on the waiting list and it is the birthing service with the most unmet demand. Birthing mothers and midwives want to see that demand met, and are pushing for a north side stand-alone birthing clinic. That model has been successful elsewhere in Australia. It is disappointing, I have to say, that the government will not consider this successful model despite the position of midwives, health consumers and other providers.
I note that there is a recommendation in the estimates report, recommendation 31, about engaging with midwives to look at developing an appropriate model. This has
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