❓ The opposition questions the delay in establishing a peak mental health consumer advocacy group as per an election commitment. The Minister responds that a Mental Health Commission must be established first, and accuses the previous government of inaction.
AnsweredQoN 162Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMER ADVOCACY
I refer to the government’s election commitment to tender out to a non-government organisation to establish and maintain a peak mental health consumer voice in Western Australia within the Department of Health’s existing resources. (1) Why has it taken the minister so long and why has the minister not yet undertaken this election commitment? (2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS
I refer to the government’s election commitment to tender out to a non-government organisation to establish and maintain a peak mental health consumer voice in Western Australia within the Department of Health’s existing resources. (1) Why has it taken the minister so long and why has the minister not yet undertaken this election commitment? (2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS
AnswerView source ↗
Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(1) Why has it taken the minister so long and why has the minister not yet undertaken this election commitment? (2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission —
The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(1) Why has it taken the minister so long and why has the minister not yet undertaken this election commitment? (2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(2) When will the minister call for expressions of interest to tender for this service? (3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(3) What programs, grants, infrastructure, services or staff will have their funding reduced, cut or discontinued to provide for such a service within the existing Department of Health resources? Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Dr G.G. JACOBS replied: Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Before I start, I recognise Cathy Bamblett, the principal of Esperance Senior High School, and her professional colleagues in the public gallery. (1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
(1)–(3) I thank the Deputy Leader of Opposition for his question. In short, if there is a job worth doing, it is worth doing properly. This government has a genuine desire to do better for people with mental illness in Western Australia. We have commissioned a commission—a commission of mental health—that takes the mental health division and its full-time equivalents into a commission. Presently it has an acting commissioner who has the power of procurement and purchasing of services to fill gaps in delivery of mental health services in Western Australia. That process is ongoing and it is identifying a ring fence budget to deliver services for people with mental illness. Members opposite may scoff, but in all the time they were in government what did they actually structurally do any differently to deliver a better service for people with mental illness? As I have said often, it is not about necessarily dealing with people with acute illness. We do that fairly well. It is about what happens to people when they leave hospital and how they are supported in the community In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
In relation to the peak body to feed into the Mental Health Commission, we have to have a commission before we have a peak body feeding into a commission! The member for Kwinana knows as well as I do that the commission —
The SPEAKER : Order! I think the member for Kwinana has asked a very important question and we would like to hear the answer to it. I am sure the member for Kwinana would. Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
Dr G.G. JACOBS : This government committed to a peak body with a community advocacy role in mental illness. It is also committed to an advisory council to feed into the commission. That is an important job. The commission was created on 8 March this year. The peak body will feed into that commission and will work with the commissioner and advise the minister on where we need to divert our services to fill the gaps in services to people with mental illness. As I have said before often, mental illness falls outside acute mental illness; it is how people get a roof over their head, have three meals a day, engage Centrelink, engage part-time employment and get to their doctors’ appointments. It is about delivering support for people with mental illness and is a combination of services in the community for people with mental illness. That is what a commissioner and a commission is about. Until we have that, members opposite can talk about peak bodies and advisory councils until the cows come home! That indicates what members opposite did not do when they were in office.
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