❓ Question regarding the progress of early psychosis youth centres in WA. The Minister details the planning, funding agreements with the Commonwealth, and the recent withdrawal of federal funding, leading to a point of order regarding the length and nature of the answer.
AnsweredQoN 111Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH — EARLY PSYCHOSIS YOUTH
CENTRES
111. Hon PHIL
EDMAN to the Minister for Mental Health:
Could
the minister please update the house on the progress of early psychosis youth
centres in Western Australia?
CENTRES
111. Hon PHIL
EDMAN to the Minister for Mental Health:
Could
the minister please update the house on the progress of early psychosis youth
centres in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question
and I also acknowledge the ongoing and substantial work that he does in
supporting young people in his electorate.
The planning for the early psychosis
youth centres started around two years ago and as people might recall, they
were proposed to be jointly funded by the state and the commonwealth and are
anticipated to see about 600 people each year in the age bracket of 15 years
old to 24 years old. This program is about early intervention for people with a
psychotic illness. It is very important to reduce the negative consequences on
those young people and their families and carers. Of course, this type of
centre would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On 16 November 2011,
the federal government invited the states to partner in these centres through a
bidding process of 50–50, and $10 million worth of costs would go into
each of these facilities on an annual basis, building up over four years. On 31
July 2012, eight months later, we had confirmation that Western Australia had
been successful in securing two of these centres. I quote from a letter from
the federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, which I will perhaps table.
The letter states —
Following recent discussions, between
our officials, I am writing to confirm the Australian Government's
offer to the Western Australian Government for two Early Psychosis Youth
Services under Round One of the implementation of the Expansion of Early
Psychosis prevention and Intervention Centre
Just skipping along a bit, on 20
December 2012, after a lot of negotiation at our level to make sure we could
match the commonwealth's offer of funding, we went to cabinet and we
got that confirmation that the state government would match the level of funding
required. On 4 February we got another
letter from the minister, who made it absolutely clear that these centres were
going to commence. The letter dated 29 January states in part —
Following
execution of the NPA, the IP can be finalised and implementation of these
centres can commence.
Very shortly after that, of course, there were a number of discussions
backwards and forwards between the minister and me. Two weeks ago the federal
budget came out and it was really good news. I was thrilled to note that in
budget paper No 3, under ''Part 2: Payments for specific purposes'',
a budget was allocated to WA for the national partnership on EPYCs. The funding
amounts to $3.5 million, $6.3 million, $8.8 million, $10 million and $10 million
over the five fiscal years. Unfortunately, yesterday I had a phone call
from Minister Butler saying that the commonwealth had decided to withdraw its
funding. It is unbelievable that after that amount of confirmation, including
the fact that the budget papers stated that this was going to happen, and after
this commitment, which was two years in the planning between the state and —
Point of Order
Hon SUE ELLERY : Standing order 102 provides for statements by
ministers and parliamentary secretaries. We just heard from the minister that
she got the phone call yesterday. She could have prepared a ministerial
statement and done it today if she wanted to give this information to the
chamber. This is wasting question time when she is giving a ministerial
statement.
Ruling by President Ruling
The PRESIDENT : Order! Let me
make a comment. It is not a point of order, but the relevance applies to the
standing orders that I pointed out yesterday. Standing order 105 states that an
answer shall be concise and relevant. This answer has already taken about five
minutes. This chamber does not want to, and should not, become a mirror image
of another place. In that other place there are dorothy dixers, for want of a
better term. That has not been the practice in this house; question time has
been used to obtain information. That is not to say that every member does not
have the same right as everybody else to ask a question, but I do not want to
see it develop into a practice whereby lengthy statements are made in question
time by ministers. I am sure the minister on this occasion is going to bring
her answer to a rapid conclusion.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Hon HELEN MORTON : Absolutely, Mr President, and thank you for
that clarification, because I do recognise that Hon Phil Edman has been incredibly interested in the development of these early
psychosis youth centres from the very beginning. He asked me the question so I
am giving him the answer.
At this stage we have
to work out what we are going to do in WA, given that the federal government
has withdrawn funding from the most vulnerable group of young people in Western
Australia—those with early psychosis.
The PRESIDENT : Did the minister want to table a document
associated with that answer?
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you, Mr President. I will happily table
two of the letters that were provided to me by Minister Butler.
[See paper 281.]
and I also acknowledge the ongoing and substantial work that he does in
supporting young people in his electorate.
The planning for the early psychosis
youth centres started around two years ago and as people might recall, they
were proposed to be jointly funded by the state and the commonwealth and are
anticipated to see about 600 people each year in the age bracket of 15 years
old to 24 years old. This program is about early intervention for people with a
psychotic illness. It is very important to reduce the negative consequences on
those young people and their families and carers. Of course, this type of
centre would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On 16 November 2011,
the federal government invited the states to partner in these centres through a
bidding process of 50–50, and $10 million worth of costs would go into
each of these facilities on an annual basis, building up over four years. On 31
July 2012, eight months later, we had confirmation that Western Australia had
been successful in securing two of these centres. I quote from a letter from
the federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, which I will perhaps table.
The letter states —
Following recent discussions, between
our officials, I am writing to confirm the Australian Government's
offer to the Western Australian Government for two Early Psychosis Youth
Services under Round One of the implementation of the Expansion of Early
Psychosis prevention and Intervention Centre
Just skipping along a bit, on 20
December 2012, after a lot of negotiation at our level to make sure we could
match the commonwealth's offer of funding, we went to cabinet and we
got that confirmation that the state government would match the level of funding
required. On 4 February we got another
letter from the minister, who made it absolutely clear that these centres were
going to commence. The letter dated 29 January states in part —
Following
execution of the NPA, the IP can be finalised and implementation of these
centres can commence.
Very shortly after that, of course, there were a number of discussions
backwards and forwards between the minister and me. Two weeks ago the federal
budget came out and it was really good news. I was thrilled to note that in
budget paper No 3, under ''Part 2: Payments for specific purposes'',
a budget was allocated to WA for the national partnership on EPYCs. The funding
amounts to $3.5 million, $6.3 million, $8.8 million, $10 million and $10 million
over the five fiscal years. Unfortunately, yesterday I had a phone call
from Minister Butler saying that the commonwealth had decided to withdraw its
funding. It is unbelievable that after that amount of confirmation, including
the fact that the budget papers stated that this was going to happen, and after
this commitment, which was two years in the planning between the state and —
Point of Order
Hon SUE ELLERY : Standing order 102 provides for statements by
ministers and parliamentary secretaries. We just heard from the minister that
she got the phone call yesterday. She could have prepared a ministerial
statement and done it today if she wanted to give this information to the
chamber. This is wasting question time when she is giving a ministerial
statement.
Ruling by President Ruling
The PRESIDENT : Order! Let me
make a comment. It is not a point of order, but the relevance applies to the
standing orders that I pointed out yesterday. Standing order 105 states that an
answer shall be concise and relevant. This answer has already taken about five
minutes. This chamber does not want to, and should not, become a mirror image
of another place. In that other place there are dorothy dixers, for want of a
better term. That has not been the practice in this house; question time has
been used to obtain information. That is not to say that every member does not
have the same right as everybody else to ask a question, but I do not want to
see it develop into a practice whereby lengthy statements are made in question
time by ministers. I am sure the minister on this occasion is going to bring
her answer to a rapid conclusion.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Hon HELEN MORTON : Absolutely, Mr President, and thank you for
that clarification, because I do recognise that Hon Phil Edman has been incredibly interested in the development of these early
psychosis youth centres from the very beginning. He asked me the question so I
am giving him the answer.
At this stage we have
to work out what we are going to do in WA, given that the federal government
has withdrawn funding from the most vulnerable group of young people in Western
Australia—those with early psychosis.
The PRESIDENT : Did the minister want to table a document
associated with that answer?
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you, Mr President. I will happily table
two of the letters that were provided to me by Minister Butler.
[See paper 281.]
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