❓ Hon. Ljiljanna Ravlich questions the Minister for Mental Health about a royal commission into deaths associated with WA's mental health system. The Minister rejects the need for a royal commission, citing existing reviews and accusing Ravlich of misleading the public.
AnsweredQoN 444Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL
HEALTH — DEATHS INQUIRY
444. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to the call from the former chair of the Mental
Health Council of Australia, Mr Keith Wilson, for a royal commission into the
number of deaths associated with WA's mental health system. Will the
minister commit to a wide-ranging independent and open inquiry into the deaths
associated with our mental health facilities; and, if not, why not?
HEALTH — DEATHS INQUIRY
444. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to the call from the former chair of the Mental
Health Council of Australia, Mr Keith Wilson, for a royal commission into the
number of deaths associated with WA's mental health system. Will the
minister commit to a wide-ranging independent and open inquiry into the deaths
associated with our mental health facilities; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I think the member again is just trying to use these amazing
attempts to try to create an impression that the issues at Fremantle Hospital
are such that they require something over and above —
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! I am listening very
carefully for relevance. I have not found very much yet but I am sure the
minister will come to it.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I will start again, Mr President.
Keith Wilson was responding to some articles written in the Fremantle Herald . Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich
supplied information to a local reporter who got the information incredibly
wrong, and the reporter has made it absolutely clear that he got that
information incredibly wrong. The reporter, for example, does not understand
the difference between figures that are supplied when reporting the number of
deaths for people associated in some way or another with the mental health system,
which means that somebody might have been a patient five or 10 years ago and
might have died from a heart attack or other natural causes or in hospital as
an elderly patient. Those are the types of patients that are reported in the
so-called figures that are being supplied that make it sound like there is
additional information that is required around this. The member needs to get
this information correct and stop being so misleading in the media and using
what I have indicated before as somewhat shock tactics to try to gather a bit
of momentum and traction. The only traction she is getting, unfortunately, is
with a —
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You said ''shock jock''.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I did say ''shock jock''
because the member is the shock jock of Parliament. That is the member's
claim to fame; that is all she has. She does not actually achieve anything.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! When the house
comes to order I will ask the minister to wind up her answer.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I will wind it up by saying that
the reviews that have been undertaken so far by the Chief Psychiatrist—I
have read them in full—are very clear and comprehensive. They have a
great set of recommendations that are going to be implemented. They are not
indicating that there are any issues at Fremantle Hospital that are more or
less of a concern than issues that we already know about in terms of admission
and discharge practice across the whole system. Those are the things that are
currently being addressed. The review that is being undertaken by Professor
Bryant Stokes is due to come out in a few weeks. That review is looking at
admission and discharge practices across the whole system. I am anticipating
that that review will be made publicly available. It will not identify
individual patient names et cetera. I do not believe there is a need for a
royal commission and I certainly would not support that. In fact, I understand
that the Leader of the Opposition also indicated that he did not believe it was
necessary to have a royal commission. I conclude by saying that I think Hon
Ljiljanna Ravlich is totally out of control again.
attempts to try to create an impression that the issues at Fremantle Hospital
are such that they require something over and above —
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! I am listening very
carefully for relevance. I have not found very much yet but I am sure the
minister will come to it.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I will start again, Mr President.
Keith Wilson was responding to some articles written in the Fremantle Herald . Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich
supplied information to a local reporter who got the information incredibly
wrong, and the reporter has made it absolutely clear that he got that
information incredibly wrong. The reporter, for example, does not understand
the difference between figures that are supplied when reporting the number of
deaths for people associated in some way or another with the mental health system,
which means that somebody might have been a patient five or 10 years ago and
might have died from a heart attack or other natural causes or in hospital as
an elderly patient. Those are the types of patients that are reported in the
so-called figures that are being supplied that make it sound like there is
additional information that is required around this. The member needs to get
this information correct and stop being so misleading in the media and using
what I have indicated before as somewhat shock tactics to try to gather a bit
of momentum and traction. The only traction she is getting, unfortunately, is
with a —
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : You said ''shock jock''.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I did say ''shock jock''
because the member is the shock jock of Parliament. That is the member's
claim to fame; that is all she has. She does not actually achieve anything.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order, members! When the house
comes to order I will ask the minister to wind up her answer.
Hon HELEN MORTON : I will wind it up by saying that
the reviews that have been undertaken so far by the Chief Psychiatrist—I
have read them in full—are very clear and comprehensive. They have a
great set of recommendations that are going to be implemented. They are not
indicating that there are any issues at Fremantle Hospital that are more or
less of a concern than issues that we already know about in terms of admission
and discharge practice across the whole system. Those are the things that are
currently being addressed. The review that is being undertaken by Professor
Bryant Stokes is due to come out in a few weeks. That review is looking at
admission and discharge practices across the whole system. I am anticipating
that that review will be made publicly available. It will not identify
individual patient names et cetera. I do not believe there is a need for a
royal commission and I certainly would not support that. In fact, I understand
that the Leader of the Opposition also indicated that he did not believe it was
necessary to have a royal commission. I conclude by saying that I think Hon
Ljiljanna Ravlich is totally out of control again.
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