❓ Question regarding the Liberal-National government's specific initiatives for Indigenous mental health service delivery in WA. The Minister outlines funding for Aboriginal health worker training and the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service.
AnsweredQoN 461Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INDIGENOUS MENTAL HEALTH
I am certainly proud that our government is at the forefront of mental health service delivery with the appointment of Australia’s first Mental Health Commissioner. Can the minister please inform the house how the Liberal–National government is specifically delivering for Indigenous mental health? Dr G.G. JACOBS
I am certainly proud that our government is at the forefront of mental health service delivery with the appointment of Australia’s first Mental Health Commissioner. Can the minister please inform the house how the Liberal–National government is specifically delivering for Indigenous mental health? Dr G.G. JACOBS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question and for her concern about this very important area. When in opposition, the Liberal Party was committed to providing better services for people who unfortunately suffer from a mental illness, and so, too, for those in the Indigenous community. We all know how members of the Indigenous population are over-represented in many health areas, particularly the comorbidities of substance abuse and alcohol abuse, which impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question and for her concern about this very important area. When in opposition, the Liberal Party was committed to providing better services for people who unfortunately suffer from a mental illness, and so, too, for those in the Indigenous community. We all know how members of the Indigenous population are over-represented in many health areas, particularly the comorbidities of substance abuse and alcohol abuse, which impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question and for her concern about this very important area. When in opposition, the Liberal Party was committed to providing better services for people who unfortunately suffer from a mental illness, and so, too, for those in the Indigenous community. We all know how members of the Indigenous population are over-represented in many health areas, particularly the comorbidities of substance abuse and alcohol abuse, which impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for the question and for her concern about this very important area. When in opposition, the Liberal Party was committed to providing better services for people who unfortunately suffer from a mental illness, and so, too, for those in the Indigenous community. We all know how members of the Indigenous population are over-represented in many health areas, particularly the comorbidities of substance abuse and alcohol abuse, which impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
I thank the member for Kingsley for the question and for her concern about this very important area. When in opposition, the Liberal Party was committed to providing better services for people who unfortunately suffer from a mental illness, and so, too, for those in the Indigenous community. We all know how members of the Indigenous population are over-represented in many health areas, particularly the comorbidities of substance abuse and alcohol abuse, which impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing. I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
I commend Eddie Bartnik on his comments made on radio this morning on the Geoff Hutchison show. Both he and I are committed to improving the lot of Indigenous people with a mental illness. One of the positives of creating a commission was ring-fencing a mental health budget, so that we know what we spend on community mental health and on acute care. In the community area, through a national partnership agreement we have committed to closing the gap by providing $22.4 million for training Aboriginal health workers, particularly in mental health services. I will call on my previous experience in providing health services to places that are distant from Perth. It is very difficult to train people in the major centre of Perth and then tell them to go to a centre in the Kimberley such as Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. The important part of this program is to train people from the community, who have a heart for the community and who are part of the community, so that they can gain certification and skills in counselling their own people with a mental illness. In fact, we have a partnership with Charles Sturt University to provide a course for those people so that they can service and support people with a mental illness within their own community. I am very proud of that. I think it is very practical. How often do we hear of programs that have no meat and do not actually deliver? This is a tangible way of delivering services and help to people in their communities. Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Briefly, the second part that has not been done well before is the creation of a statewide Aboriginal mental health service. Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Mr M. McGowan : It’s like Rob Oakeshott! Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Mr F.M. Logan : No, he was quicker! Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : I hoped that the opposition would be a little more serious about this very important issue. We are focusing on a department — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
The SPEAKER : Members! The minister has been asked a question in this place. Interjections and conversations from both sides are not helping and are not respectful to the question that has been asked or the answer being given. I suggest that members on both sides of this place listen to the minister’s response. Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : I will conclude. This is a very serious matter. The commissioner and I are very committed. This government is committed to providing a specific statewide Aboriginal mental health service to not only close the gap, but also fill in the gaps where there are deficiencies.
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