Page 4530 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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define best practice in managing occupational violence both nationally and internationally. A working group chaired by the chief executive officer has been convened and will meet for the first time next week.
Additionally, ACT Health is very close to finalising a new nurse safety strategy. In recognition of the fact that mental health can be a challenging area of health service delivery, the new strategy will have a focus on high-risk areas like mental health and the unique risks faced by staff working in those environments. The nurse safety strategy is a key item under the parliamentary agreement and it is a priority for the government. We have been working with staff and unions such as the ANMF and other key stakeholders in the development of the strategy, which is expected to be released later this year. I understand that the mental health, justice health, alcohol and drug services division is also working on a divisional-specific action plan to sit underneath those strategic documents.
Of course no-one should feel unsafe in their workplace. While mental health staff do accept a level of risk as part of their jobs, the number of recent assaults is deeply concerning to me. I do not shy away from the challenge we have in addressing this issue, and I will continue to closely monitor progress on this work.
The government is committed to ensuring that all Canberrans can access the right mental health services at the right time, and that is why we have delivered record investments in mental health, with spending increasing each year over the past three years. It is encouraging to see more Canberrans feeling comfortable to reach out for support, and our services are responding to this increasing demand. At the same time, I recognise that we do have some areas to improve on and I look forward to coming back to the Assembly with more information about further work we are doing to address some of these issues. I now move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit all text after (1) notes, substitute:
“(a) October is mental health month;
(b) the efforts made, especially through community-based initiatives, to raise awareness of mental health in the community, reduce and eliminate the stigmas associated with mental health, and empower people suffering mental health problems to seek help through events such as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Expo, ‘RUOK?’ day, the ‘It’s OK to Talk’ campaign, and many others;
(c) each year, one in five Australians experience a mental health issue and approximately half of all people (45 percent) will experience issues with mental health in their lifetime; and
(d) there were over 293 000 contacts with mental health clients across adult community, child and youth, mental health rehabilitation and speciality services in the ACT in 2017-18;
(2) further notes:
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