Page 1276 - Week 05 - Thursday, 4 June 2020
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However, we cannot support Mrs Dunne’s motion, for many reasons, one of which is in terms of the referral of an inquiry to the Human Rights Commission. I am not sure, process-wise, that it is really appropriate. I also do not think that it is feasible to expect the Human Rights Commission to undertake the very extensive terms of reference that Mrs Dunne has listed in her motion in the time frame that she has provided.
The education, employment and youth affairs committee just today have extended their reporting period, I understand, and certainly their submission taking, on their inquiry into youth mental health. That is a clear indication that these are complex issues. If another proper inquiry was to be undertaken, it would require some extensive consultation on the part of the Human Rights Commission.
When the Human Rights Commission conducted their commission-initiated investigation, their own initiated investigation into Bimberi, in some ways that was a much narrower investigation, with fewer people to interview and probably fewer issues to consider. We again welcomed that inquiry. It was a really important inquiry into Bimberi Youth Justice Centre and the allegations that had been raised. No evidence was found to support most of them. You would not know that, from listening to the opposition. That inquiry took 18 months or more.
These are difficult matters—Mrs Dunne is right and the opposition is right. I think you made the point in one of your earlier contributions, Mr Assistant Speaker Parton, that it is the role of the opposition to hold the government to account. We certainly do not shy away from that. We also recognise absolutely—I heard a little bit of Minister Rattenbury’s contribution—that there is a growing demand for mental health services. We have been working very hard, as Minister Rattenbury’s amendment indicates, on taking a range of measures and making a range of investments to address that demand. Do we need to do more? Absolutely, we need to do more.
That is why, as Minister for Health, I have made it very clear to both the ACT Health Directorate and Canberra Health Services, as well as in my conversations with Minister Rattenbury, that mental health is also a high priority for me. It is absolutely critical that our investment in the health system is focused in this area. It is also important, as the minister with responsibility for alcohol and other drugs policies and services, that we integrate our systems across mental health and drugs and alcohol because we know that the extent of comorbidity in these spaces is significant. We need to ensure that our services are integrated and can support people who have comorbid conditions. That stretches beyond mental health and drugs and alcohol. It is a key driver of the work that we do within the ACT government and the work that we do across governments, through the COAG Health Council, in terms of trying to develop policies that will deliver a more integrated system.
That goes to the point that Mr Milligan made, a really good point about Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services treating the whole person. It would be wonderful—and I know Minister Fitzharris made this point at Winnunga’s birthday party last year—if our whole health service took the approach of treating the whole person, body and mind. That would be great. That is what we aim to achieve. We will have to get there a step at a time. We are not starting from a perfect situation. We are experiencing changes in the demand for services over time.
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