Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In response to the two interventions by both the member for Mackellar and the Leader of the Opposition and the earlier question by the member for Dickson, I have said that Professor Mendoza’s statement or interview was published in the newspapers. We the government cannot speak for him. He speaks for himself. And I have said further that we welcome contributions to this debate, as we have done throughout the process of health reform.

The minister for health and I have heard, in the various public forums we have conducted around the country on health reform, contributions from medical experts including those in the mental health sector over the course of the last six to nine months, many of whom agreed with the policy directions of the government and many of whom disagreed with the policy directions of the government. That is what the process of public consultation is about. The business of government is to frame a health reform which is fiscally responsible, hence the $7.5 billion expansion in health and hospitals we announced as part of our health reform program earlier on. Part of those investments also go to the question of sub-acute beds in hospital—an additional $1,300 million, some of which can be used of course for patients with various mental health challenges. Also, action on mental health since the government has come to office includes investment in perinatal depression, investments for the workforce, investments in suicide prevention and the establishment of a range of other measures as well. These are steps that we have taken in the overall challenge of mental health reform. There is much more to be done in this area. There is much more to be done in the area of aged-care reform as well. But I make these comments against a background of a government which has brought about a fundamental reform to the system.

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