Susan Lamb (Longman, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Mental health expert Professor Patrick McGorry has warned that a plebiscite will harm people's mental health. Has the Prime Minister obtained any other expert advice that says the plebiscite debate will not be harmful and, if not, why does the Prime Minister think he knows better than Australia's mental-health experts?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. As I said yesterday and, I think, as Professor McGorry acknowledged today, I have discussed the matter with him. I will cite what Professor McGorry said publically rather than go into our private discussion. Professor McGorry made the point to agree with my proposition that Australians are able to have a civil discussion about this, but he said that he was concerned that there were some small elements—subgroups, I think, was the term he used—which would be intemperate in their conduct and that that could cause distress for some people in the LGBTI community.

I simply leave honourable members with this question, and it is a very fundamental one for our democracy: are we going to say that we may not have a public debate on a topic when it is alleged that there will be a minority, some small groups, that will act intemperately? Are we going to disentitle the vast majority of Australians from having their say?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my right; the Leader of the House, the member for Barker, the member for Deakin and the member for Canning will cease interjecting. The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance: the question specifically asks whether—

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat. Members will cease interjecting. I want to hear the Manager of Opposition Business.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question does not go to whether a plebiscite should occur but goes to whether or not expert advice has been obtained on mental health—that is what the question is about.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question also had a preamble; the Prime Minister is in order.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Patrick McGorry is an expert, and I have spoken to Professor McGorry about this as I often speak about mental health issues with him. As honourable members know, one of the key commitments of our government is to preserve and enhance the mental wealth—the mental health—of Australia. As Professor McGorry's counterpart, another great Australian psychiatrist, Professor Ian Hickie, talks about the importance of the mental health of Australia he talks about the mental wealth of nations. We have a $192 million commitment to new mental health services, and I look forward to the health minister having the opportunity to say some more about that today if honourable members want to go into this.

Let me get back to the point I was making before I was interrupted by the Manager of Opposition Business. Labor's point is to say that because they believe a small number of people will participate in the debate in an intemperate and harsh way, perhaps in a discourteous and cruel way, then everybody else in Australia—the other 99 per cent of Australians—should not be able to have a say. That is ridiculous. It is completely ridiculously, and if that proposition were accepted, how are we going to go with a referendum on constitutional recognition? Are we not going to have that because there are some people who will make unkind, racist remarks? Are we going to disentitle all Australians from having a say because of a small minority—(Time expired)