Page 2834 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 August 2015
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With such a challenge in recruiting and retaining staff for the adult mental health unit, I have serious concerns as to how the impending secure mental health unit will be staffed and if the staff will be safe. Will they leave their homes each day, heading off to work, fearful that they might be attacked whilst doing their job? Has a clear plan been established as to how many staff will be needed for the new facility and how they will be recruited? Will we see a repeat of what has happened at the adult mental health unit, where not all the beds could be used in the initial stages because there were not sufficient staff?
The secure mental health facility, I am pleased to see, has finally had a contractor appointed. However, it is concerning that the time frame for the facility seems to continue to slip. This facility was originally announced in 2005 and then announced again in 2008 with an expected completion date of sometime in 2011. We are looking at a facility that may be completed over a decade after it was announced. How many people in our community have suffered over this time—struggling to access appropriate treatment and care while this project has been announced, re-announced and used to gain hope for those in need all over the community while being used for political point scoring.
I hope that we do not see the same thing that happened with the AMC as we head into next year’s election. Those in the chamber will recall that the Alexander Maconochie Centre was opened with great fanfare and glossy ribbon cutting weeks before the 2008 ACT election to take advantage of a photo opportunity when it was not actually ready for inmates until March 2009. Yes, the minister stood there and cut the ribbon for the election campaign, with no clients in the facility until some nine months after the supposed opening. I hope we will not see a repeat of that kind of dishonesty.
I was surprised that the recommendation for a review into the number of patients within the AMHU suffering with drug-related or ice problems was rejected as a recommendation of the estimates committee. It is well known that the AMHU is overflowing with people who are struggling with ice addiction. As we start to learn more about the effect of ice in our community, I would have thought the government was willing to study how many people are flooding our mental health units with what is substantially a drug dependency issue rather than necessarily an underlying mental health concern.
Obviously in many cases those with ice and other dependency issues also suffer from mental health concerns, but the professionals in this area have explained that there is a real difference in the way that you treat and the way that cases present when they are organic mental health issues or exacerbated issues brought on by drug use. I note that additional funds have been allocated for drug-related problems, for ice management and for opiate overdose responses. It is a start. I hope it will help in redirecting addicts out of the AMHU so that it can be used for what it is designed for.
I note that $26.1 million has been allocated over the next four years to mental health services. I hope the money will be spent on the services that are really needed. I am pleased to see that there is a plan for a Gungahlin regional community service and an early identification program for children with emerging mental health issues. There has been a serious lack of services for people in the Gungahlin area for some time. There has also been a lack of services for young people struggling with mental health issues across Canberra. I hope that this will start to deal with the ongoing issue.
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