Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to Professor John Mendoza’s resignation, citing the Prime Minister’s tendency to take credit for the previous government’s work in mental health. I also refer the Prime Minister to his previous answer where he again tried to take credit—this time for the operation and establishment of headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Can the Prime Minister now explain why in his opinion Professor Mendoza has resigned from the National Advisory Council on Mental Health?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question on mental health. I say in response to the Leader of the Opposition’s question on mental health that, when it comes to the Headspace program, as I indicated in my earlier remarks, this government has expanded services in this sector—and I made that quite clear in my additional remarks in my earlier answer. The reason that we have expanded those services is that, together with the Minister for Health and Ageing, I visited one of those services which was operating in Sunshine in Melbourne—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

This question is, I think, highly relevant to the usefulness of these services and why we as a government took the decision to expand them by some 20 or 30 sites across the country. These services are providing for young people in the community a place where they can comfortably go and then access the whole range of services which may affect their current mental health condition. It is designed specifically to be done in a non-threatening environment. It is specifically designed to be a welcoming environment—

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my point of order is on relevance. I asked about Professor Mendoza, and the Prime Minister cannot bring himself to even mention his name. He cannot even bring himself to mention Professor Mendoza’s name. He should explain why Professor Mendoza has resigned.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is responding to the question. He was referred to comments that he had made in the previous answer about the program and he was asked for an opinion in the last part. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

I would say in response to the Leader of the Opposition’s question again that on this specific program, the Headspace program, one of the things which he himself might reflect upon is why when health minister he did not, I am advised, provide continuing future funding for the program which was previously established. That is one question which we are interested to hear the answer to. This government in fact chose to continue that funding and, furthermore, we chose to expand those services. We chose to expand those services because of the key value which they provide to young people in the community.

When I visited the one at Sunshine, I saw the number of young people accessing it because it was friendly, open and non-threatening, enabling young people to go there, outside of a school environment, where they may be concerned about presenting particular mental health problems to school counsellors et cetera. That was why it was judged by many professionals in the field to be so successful—which was why we have backed its expansion.

The Leader of the Opposition asked more broadly a question about the government’s priorities when it comes to health and the debate which surrounds that. I say to the Leader of the Opposition that, on the question of mental health, we as a government intend to continue our investments in this area because it is an area of continuing and outstanding concern for the whole community. It does not matter where you go in Australia, mental health concerns are real.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The Prime Minister has now been talking for nearly three minutes. Why has he airbrushed Professor Mendoza out of his answer?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. The Prime Minister has the call.

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

On the question of mental health, we believe that this is a huge priority for the future of the country. We welcome debate on the subject. We welcome debate from those who agree with the government’s reforms and those who disagree with the government’s reforms. We do that more broadly in the health and hospitals debate of the nation. On the health and hospitals debate of the nation, it is passing strange that the gentleman asking the question—the Leader of the Opposition, who engages in this debate—was the person who gouged a billion dollars out of the public hospital system of Australia when he was the health minister.

Dr Southcott interjecting—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The only matter that the member for Boothby could be rising on is the point of order on relevance that has been taken on two occasions. I am well aware of that point of order. I have given the Prime Minister the call. As is well known, I am not in a position to dictate the way in which the Prime Minister or any other minister at the dispatch box decides that they want to respond to a question. In the past, when a minister or Prime Minister has been responding to part of the question, that has been seen to be relevant, whether or not those who have asked the question believe that there is some other way in which the question should be answered.

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

The government is passionate about health and hospitals reform. We know that we have a lot more still to do when it comes to reform in mental health and a lot more to do when it comes to the whole need for reform in aged care as well, as I have said repeatedly in recent debates. But do you know something? We are getting on with the job of this, and that is what the National Health and Hospitals Network is all about—$7½ billion worth of additional funding flowing from 1 July, compared with $1 billion gouged out of the system when the Leader of the Opposition was last responsible for the health portfolio.