❓ Question about the progress of the Mental Health Commission's establishment, with the Minister responding by highlighting the need for holistic mental health support beyond clinical treatment, using the example of 'John' to illustrate gaps in current services.
AnsweredQoN 31Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION
I am very proud of this Liberal–National government’s very strong social commitment to put mental health services at the forefront of its agenda for Western Australia. I was pleased to see the fulfilment of our election commitment to establish a mental health commission but was disappointed to hear some negativity from members opposite. Can the minister please update the house on the progress of the proposed commission? Dr G.G. JACOBS
I am very proud of this Liberal–National government’s very strong social commitment to put mental health services at the forefront of its agenda for Western Australia. I was pleased to see the fulfilment of our election commitment to establish a mental health commission but was disappointed to hear some negativity from members opposite. Can the minister please update the house on the progress of the proposed commission? Dr G.G. JACOBS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and for her interest. On this side of the house for a long time now we have been concerned about the unfortunate plight of people who suffer from a mental illness. As we know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and for her interest. On this side of the house for a long time now we have been concerned about the unfortunate plight of people who suffer from a mental illness. As we know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and for her interest. On this side of the house for a long time now we have been concerned about the unfortunate plight of people who suffer from a mental illness. As we know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and for her interest. On this side of the house for a long time now we have been concerned about the unfortunate plight of people who suffer from a mental illness. As we know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and for her interest. On this side of the house for a long time now we have been concerned about the unfortunate plight of people who suffer from a mental illness. As we know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental illness during their lifetime. I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
I may just share with the house the experience of John. John lives in a moderately sized country town. He could well live in a suburb. He lives in a temporary on-site caravan in a caravan park. He walks the street with his dog and he suffers from—as do one in 30 people in Western Australia—a chronic relapsing mental illness. He falls unwell. He has no support in his accommodation in his caravan park. He has no employment. He has no prospect of employment with his present lack of support. He does not get three meals a day. He does not have transport to receive follow-up consultations on his condition or to make sure that he goes to his doctor’s appointments and is followed up by the visiting psychiatrist. He roams the street, becomes unwell and basically gets into trouble with the law. He is then scooped up by the police and taken to the emergency centre and then committed under form 3 as an involuntary patient. He is heavily sedated and, in this case, put on a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane and taken to Graylands Hospital, where he receives a week’s treatment for his acute illness. He has been bought a ticket on the railway bus Transwa and sent back to the town without follow-up and without a treatment plan. He then goes back into the community and roams the streets without the follow-up that is necessary. His life is just one big revolving door. We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
We recognise on this side of the house that we do quite well in the treatment of acute illness. Clinical treatment in this state is done very well. The other issues around mental illness are those that fall outside health. Does a person have a roof over his head; how does he negotiate a part-time job; how does he engage with the police and law and order; and how does he get three meals a day? Are services available; who transports him and makes sure he gets to his doctor’s appointments so he has good follow-up service? We recognise there are many other important issues in mental illness. In that desire and in that need, we had to think differently about this issue. We therefore committed to a commissioner and a commission to look at all those other issues associated with mental health because it is needed. It is to do with a multidisciplinary holistic approach. As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
As a previous general practitioner I understand the good work done in clinical psychiatry and in support of people with an acute illness. However, mental illness is bigger than that; it is because of the bigness of the problem that we needed to do better. We needed to create a commission under a commissioner to not only look at the community advocacy role — Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Mr D.A. Templeman interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Mandurah! Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : — for people with mental illness, but an ability for a commissioner to purchase — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
The SPEAKER : Order! I call the member for Mandurah formally for the first time. Minister, I believe you were asked a fairly straightforward question. Some members in this place might not necessarily like to hear all the answer. I am going to urge you to rapidly reach a conclusion. Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : It is important that we do better in those areas that can fall outside health and deliver services—fill the gaps—and establish a commission and a commissioner — Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What is Alma St doing; is that where you’re going to put the commissioner? Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : The Leader of the Opposition lampooned the recent opening of the Ngatti service in Alma Street, Fremantle, for homeless youth who suffer from mental illness. The Premier and I opened that very good service. It was always the plan for the first six young people to go into that facility on 4 March. All the Leader of the Opposition does is get up and say, “Oh, there’s a hospital without patients.” It is accommodation and it was always part of the plan for accommodating unfortunate youth with a mental illness. There are 4 000 young people in Western Australia with a mental illness who are homeless, and all the Leader of the Opposition wanted to say was that Ngatti is empty. We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
We have worked through a plan. The commissioner and the commission are designed to purchase services to fill the gaps for John so that he has a roof over his head, has transport to go to his doctors’ appointments, has three meals a day and has the prospect of employment into the future. It is all about rehabilitation and hope for people with mental illness and all members opposite can do is yell and scream because they did nothing for the unfortunate Western Australian people suffering mental illness.
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Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.