❓ The Minister for Mental Health responds to a question regarding the allocation of $495 million in funding for mental health services, highlighting community-based care, specific programs, and challenges with federal funding agreements.
AnsweredQoN 77Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
77. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record $495 million funding boost for mental health
services across Western Australia. Can the minister update the house on how
this investment will ensure that Western Australians receive the mental health care they need in the most appropriate settings
as well as meet the increasing demand for services?
77. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's record $495 million funding boost for mental health
services across Western Australia. Can the minister update the house on how
this investment will ensure that Western Australians receive the mental health care they need in the most appropriate settings
as well as meet the increasing demand for services?
AnswerView source ↗
I want to thank the member for
Churchlands for her question on our record investment in mental health services,
something that I am very passionate about and something that I know most people
in this chamber are passionate about for their communities.
It
is a fact that there has been record investment in mental health services in Western
Australia under this government. Last year's budget alone had an
increase of $495 million in investment in mental health services. That is an
extra 11 per cent increase from the previous year's budget. This is to
help meet the increasing demand for and complexity of those services, and there
are many different reasons that demand is increasing, including COVID weariness
and delayed presentation and delayed care over the past couple of years. There
is a strong focus on community-based services. Although it is important for the
state to support and provide acute care, the best kind of care, preventive
care, is holding people in the community with their families, with those
services, to prevent ongoing hospital admissions, which can be incredibly
disruptive. There is an additional $311 million for community supported
accommodation across Western Australia, including $135.7 million to deliver
outpatient treatment services to help people avoid those hospitalisations.
There are 20 beds in alcohol and drug withdrawal rehabilitation facilities;
$25.5 million for step-up, step-down facilities that provide community-based mental health services and short-term
residential support; $27.7 million for youth long-term housing and
psychosocial supports; and in-reach supports to assist young people living in
the community and to help keep them out of
hospital. Part of that is the establishment of a 10-bed youth-specific step-up,
step-down community facility and 30 psychosocial support packages for 16 to
24-year-olds living with mental health issues in the community. We are
expanding YCATT, the youth community assessment treatment team. Its outreach
service will expand from the south metropolitan region into the wider Perth
metropolitan area. We are supporting the very important child and adolescent mental
health service with additional staffing to help support more children and their
families. We are also establishing the new youth mental health long-term
housing and support program in the Perth metropolitan area.
It is no secret that demand is high in
Western Australia, but this is not unique in our state; it is high across the
country and across the world. There are serious workforce challenges globally
around providing the support that people
need for their mental health. Part of our frontline support in mental health
are general practitioners, community clinics and adult and youth mental
health services such as headspace. This is often referred to as the missing
middle in mental health services. Although the state is responsible for
providing education and support and acute services, there is a middle area, which is the GP–primary health care
space. That missing middle area is firmly the responsibility of the
commonwealth government. That is where we get that disruption in the continuum,
when people fall through the cracks and end up in the acute system.
GPs
form a really important part of this program. In May last year, the federal
government announced a $2.3 billion national mental health and suicide
prevention plan, claiming that it would lead to landmark reform. The $2.3 billion
was a really exciting announcement for everyone in the sector and every state
government. I do not think any state government has signed the agreement yet.
We are negotiating with the federal government on what that actually looks
like. I am yet to sign the agreement. I have written to the federal minister
and the assistant minister about my concerns
with the agreement process and the amount that is being offered to Western Australia.
I genuinely hope to continue to be
able to work with the commonwealth to land an agreement, but so far it has been
very disappointing from the commonwealth. Out of an announcement of $2.3
billion, it has offered Western Australia $85 million— $85 million out of a $2.3 billion investment.
There are many words to describe it. The commonwealth is also requiring the state government to add another $64 million
on top of that to make it up. It is also refusing to acknowledge the significant investment that we have already
made in this area even though that money will fund their responsibility. The
commonwealth wants us to put in $64 million to fund the missing middle. It has
not addressed the shortfalls in its responsibilities in this area and it is
refusing to recognise the $316 million. I see that the member for Vasse is back
in the chamber. She has consistently criticised the McGowan government for its
work on and provision of mental health. When she speaks with grieving families
and children who are seeking support, she ought to be reminded that we have
never shied away from these problems; we are facing them head on. If the member
for Vasse were serious about her
genuine and sincere advocacy for mental health services, I put it to her—have
she lobbied the commonwealth for more
funding out of that $2.3 billion? Has she lobbied the commonwealth? I bet she
has not.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Deputy
Leader of the Liberal Party!
Ms
A. SANDERSON : She likes to get a quick
headline and scurry out of the chamber, but she does not do the h ard
work or have the hard conversations.
Churchlands for her question on our record investment in mental health services,
something that I am very passionate about and something that I know most people
in this chamber are passionate about for their communities.
It
is a fact that there has been record investment in mental health services in Western
Australia under this government. Last year's budget alone had an
increase of $495 million in investment in mental health services. That is an
extra 11 per cent increase from the previous year's budget. This is to
help meet the increasing demand for and complexity of those services, and there
are many different reasons that demand is increasing, including COVID weariness
and delayed presentation and delayed care over the past couple of years. There
is a strong focus on community-based services. Although it is important for the
state to support and provide acute care, the best kind of care, preventive
care, is holding people in the community with their families, with those
services, to prevent ongoing hospital admissions, which can be incredibly
disruptive. There is an additional $311 million for community supported
accommodation across Western Australia, including $135.7 million to deliver
outpatient treatment services to help people avoid those hospitalisations.
There are 20 beds in alcohol and drug withdrawal rehabilitation facilities;
$25.5 million for step-up, step-down facilities that provide community-based mental health services and short-term
residential support; $27.7 million for youth long-term housing and
psychosocial supports; and in-reach supports to assist young people living in
the community and to help keep them out of
hospital. Part of that is the establishment of a 10-bed youth-specific step-up,
step-down community facility and 30 psychosocial support packages for 16 to
24-year-olds living with mental health issues in the community. We are
expanding YCATT, the youth community assessment treatment team. Its outreach
service will expand from the south metropolitan region into the wider Perth
metropolitan area. We are supporting the very important child and adolescent mental
health service with additional staffing to help support more children and their
families. We are also establishing the new youth mental health long-term
housing and support program in the Perth metropolitan area.
It is no secret that demand is high in
Western Australia, but this is not unique in our state; it is high across the
country and across the world. There are serious workforce challenges globally
around providing the support that people
need for their mental health. Part of our frontline support in mental health
are general practitioners, community clinics and adult and youth mental
health services such as headspace. This is often referred to as the missing
middle in mental health services. Although the state is responsible for
providing education and support and acute services, there is a middle area, which is the GP–primary health care
space. That missing middle area is firmly the responsibility of the
commonwealth government. That is where we get that disruption in the continuum,
when people fall through the cracks and end up in the acute system.
GPs
form a really important part of this program. In May last year, the federal
government announced a $2.3 billion national mental health and suicide
prevention plan, claiming that it would lead to landmark reform. The $2.3 billion
was a really exciting announcement for everyone in the sector and every state
government. I do not think any state government has signed the agreement yet.
We are negotiating with the federal government on what that actually looks
like. I am yet to sign the agreement. I have written to the federal minister
and the assistant minister about my concerns
with the agreement process and the amount that is being offered to Western Australia.
I genuinely hope to continue to be
able to work with the commonwealth to land an agreement, but so far it has been
very disappointing from the commonwealth. Out of an announcement of $2.3
billion, it has offered Western Australia $85 million— $85 million out of a $2.3 billion investment.
There are many words to describe it. The commonwealth is also requiring the state government to add another $64 million
on top of that to make it up. It is also refusing to acknowledge the significant investment that we have already
made in this area even though that money will fund their responsibility. The
commonwealth wants us to put in $64 million to fund the missing middle. It has
not addressed the shortfalls in its responsibilities in this area and it is
refusing to recognise the $316 million. I see that the member for Vasse is back
in the chamber. She has consistently criticised the McGowan government for its
work on and provision of mental health. When she speaks with grieving families
and children who are seeking support, she ought to be reminded that we have
never shied away from these problems; we are facing them head on. If the member
for Vasse were serious about her
genuine and sincere advocacy for mental health services, I put it to her—have
she lobbied the commonwealth for more
funding out of that $2.3 billion? Has she lobbied the commonwealth? I bet she
has not.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Deputy
Leader of the Liberal Party!
Ms
A. SANDERSON : She likes to get a quick
headline and scurry out of the chamber, but she does not do the h ard
work or have the hard conversations.
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