❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Minister for Commerce regarding potentially misleading answers about WorkSafe's mental health referral processes. The Minister defends the accuracy of both previous answers, clarifying the distinction between direct referrals to the WA Health Department's emergency line and other mental health services.
AnsweredQoN 605Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WORKSAFE —
MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS
605. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to question without notice 574, which I asked last
Thursday, 14 May, about WorkSafe and mental health reforms, and to the minister's
response that he would provide an answer at the earliest opportunity. So I ask:
which was the correct answer, and which answer did the minister mislead the
house with?
MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS
605. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to question without notice 574, which I asked last
Thursday, 14 May, about WorkSafe and mental health reforms, and to the minister's
response that he would provide an answer at the earliest opportunity. So I ask:
which was the correct answer, and which answer did the minister mislead the
house with?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question. I was going
to deliver that answer at the conclusion of question time, but I am grateful
for the opportunity to do so now. Both answers are correct, and I did not
mislead the � house.
In my answer of 14 October 2014, in response to Hon Robin
Chapple's questions related to FIFO, shift and long‑shift worker
mental health, I advised that callers to WorkSafe's customer helpline
who express thoughts of self-harm and/or high level emotional distress would be
promptly and directly referred to the WA health department's mental
health emergency response line. The prompt and direct referral is made, with
the caller's permission, by telephone transfer. Where thoughts of
self-harm are not expressed, callers can be referred to relevant government
agencies, such as Resources Safety and WorkCover, and mental health helpline
organisations, such as Lifeline and beyondblue. However, this is not by direct
referral. There is a clear distinction between the WorkSafe referrals to the WA
health department's mental health emergency response line and those
provided to other relevant government agencies and mental health helpline
organisations.
Hon Sally Talbot, MLC's question of 13 May 2015 asked
specifically about the prompt and direct referral to specialist mental health
services for callers who express thoughts of self-harm and/or high-level
emotional distress. Consistent with my answer of 14 October 2014, I advised
that the system did not enable direct referral to Lifeline or beyondblue and
that there had been one direct referral to the WA health department's
mental health emergency response line. Hon Kate Doust's question of 14
May 2015 does not note the distinction. WorkSafe officers, publications and its
website refer to relevant government agencies and mental health helpline
organisations. However, with the exception of the WA Health department's
mental health emergency response line, WorkSafe does not have the ability to
directly transfer callers to these government agencies and mental health
helpline organisations.
Accordingly, both answers are correct.
to deliver that answer at the conclusion of question time, but I am grateful
for the opportunity to do so now. Both answers are correct, and I did not
mislead the � house.
In my answer of 14 October 2014, in response to Hon Robin
Chapple's questions related to FIFO, shift and long‑shift worker
mental health, I advised that callers to WorkSafe's customer helpline
who express thoughts of self-harm and/or high level emotional distress would be
promptly and directly referred to the WA health department's mental
health emergency response line. The prompt and direct referral is made, with
the caller's permission, by telephone transfer. Where thoughts of
self-harm are not expressed, callers can be referred to relevant government
agencies, such as Resources Safety and WorkCover, and mental health helpline
organisations, such as Lifeline and beyondblue. However, this is not by direct
referral. There is a clear distinction between the WorkSafe referrals to the WA
health department's mental health emergency response line and those
provided to other relevant government agencies and mental health helpline
organisations.
Hon Sally Talbot, MLC's question of 13 May 2015 asked
specifically about the prompt and direct referral to specialist mental health
services for callers who express thoughts of self-harm and/or high-level
emotional distress. Consistent with my answer of 14 October 2014, I advised
that the system did not enable direct referral to Lifeline or beyondblue and
that there had been one direct referral to the WA health department's
mental health emergency response line. Hon Kate Doust's question of 14
May 2015 does not note the distinction. WorkSafe officers, publications and its
website refer to relevant government agencies and mental health helpline
organisations. However, with the exception of the WA Health department's
mental health emergency response line, WorkSafe does not have the ability to
directly transfer callers to these government agencies and mental health
helpline organisations.
Accordingly, both answers are correct.
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.