❓ Question regarding the Minister for Mental Health's handling of a funding request from Doors Wide Open for a crisis support centre in Bunbury, specifically concerning the requirement of a business case and communication of the funding refusal.
AnsweredQoN 1309Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ALCOHOL AND DRUG SERVICES
BUNBURY — DOORS WIDE
OPEN
1309. Hon ADELE FARINA to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Mental Health:
(1) Will the
minister explain why she required Doors Wide Open to go to the expense and
trouble of preparing a business case in support of the organisation's
plea to the minister for funding towards a crisis support centre in Bunbury, if
the government did not have funding available to support the funding request?
(2) Will the
minister explain why her decision to refuse funding to Doors Wide Open was
communicated to the organisation via the office of the federal member for
Forrest, Nola Marino, rather than directly by the minister herself or the
minister's staff, especially in view of the fact the minister had had
two meetings with representatives of the organisation at which she indicated
positive support for the proposal?
(3) Is the
minister in the habit of requiring organisations to prepare business cases when
the minister knows there is no government money available?
(4) Did the minister
present the Doors Wide Open business case and funding request formally to
cabinet; and, if not, why not?
BUNBURY — DOORS WIDE
OPEN
1309. Hon ADELE FARINA to the
parliamentary secretary representing the Minister for Mental Health:
(1) Will the
minister explain why she required Doors Wide Open to go to the expense and
trouble of preparing a business case in support of the organisation's
plea to the minister for funding towards a crisis support centre in Bunbury, if
the government did not have funding available to support the funding request?
(2) Will the
minister explain why her decision to refuse funding to Doors Wide Open was
communicated to the organisation via the office of the federal member for
Forrest, Nola Marino, rather than directly by the minister herself or the
minister's staff, especially in view of the fact the minister had had
two meetings with representatives of the organisation at which she indicated
positive support for the proposal?
(3) Is the
minister in the habit of requiring organisations to prepare business cases when
the minister knows there is no government money available?
(4) Did the minister
present the Doors Wide Open business case and funding request formally to
cabinet; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The minister
has not indicated to representatives from Doors Wide Open that she required a business
case from them. Moreover, the minister has made it clear to the representatives
from Doors Wide Open that she does not allocate money and that this is done by
the Mental Health Commission through a competitive tender process so that
taxpayers' money is allocated in an open, fair and transparent way. The
minister also suggested to the representatives that they look at other models
of service delivery in the region that have been sustainable without the requirement
for government funding. The minister has worked with Doors Wide Open to
identify other sources of funding, both government and non‑government.
(2) This question
is factually incorrect and cannot, therefore, be answered. However, it is
important to note the minister has commended Doors Wide Open on the work it is
currently undertaking, but on every occasion made it clear she does not
allocate money and that this is done by the Mental Health Commission through a competitive
tender process in order that taxpayers' money is allocated in an open,
fair and transparent way. The minister has worked with Doors Wide Open to
identify sources of funding, both government and non-government.
(3) This question
includes false and unsubstantiated assumptions and the minister will not
respond to such false assumptions.
(4) A 16-page
project proposal was provided by Doors Wide Open to the minister, which gave a brief
overview of the organisation and the work it planned to undertake. At no time
was a fully costed business case requested from or subsequently provided by
Doors Wide Open.
some notice of the question.
(1) The minister
has not indicated to representatives from Doors Wide Open that she required a business
case from them. Moreover, the minister has made it clear to the representatives
from Doors Wide Open that she does not allocate money and that this is done by
the Mental Health Commission through a competitive tender process so that
taxpayers' money is allocated in an open, fair and transparent way. The
minister also suggested to the representatives that they look at other models
of service delivery in the region that have been sustainable without the requirement
for government funding. The minister has worked with Doors Wide Open to
identify other sources of funding, both government and non‑government.
(2) This question
is factually incorrect and cannot, therefore, be answered. However, it is
important to note the minister has commended Doors Wide Open on the work it is
currently undertaking, but on every occasion made it clear she does not
allocate money and that this is done by the Mental Health Commission through a competitive
tender process in order that taxpayers' money is allocated in an open,
fair and transparent way. The minister has worked with Doors Wide Open to
identify sources of funding, both government and non-government.
(3) This question
includes false and unsubstantiated assumptions and the minister will not
respond to such false assumptions.
(4) A 16-page
project proposal was provided by Doors Wide Open to the minister, which gave a brief
overview of the organisation and the work it planned to undertake. At no time
was a fully costed business case requested from or subsequently provided by
Doors Wide Open.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.