Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to incorporate the remainder of my remarks.

Leave granted.

The remainder of the speech read as follows—

The enthusiasm for the Personal Helpers and Mentors program is testament to the positive experiences that new services have provided for many people who may not have been accessing services otherwise.

That is not to discount the concerns that exist about the ability of the program to accommodate those with more complex needs or the limited geographical reach of the service.

Equally we can not overlook the concerns that the Better Access to Mental Health Care program may be benefiting most those who were already accessing services and can afford to pay the large out-of-pocket costs, while those that live in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals or who can not afford the gap payments continue to go without.

The essential message of this interim report is that more remains to be done.

Services are still patchy and inconsistent. Many areas still need more mental health care and we need more carer and consumer involvement.

Coordination of services still need improvement and state and territory government have not yet truly engaged with the critical issue of accommodation and employment for people with mental illness.

Affordable housing and accommodation are fundamental to achieving other mental health outcomes while employment is important for maintaining mental health and as part of the rehabilitation and recovery journey for people with mental illness.

Unfortunately the COAG response was predicated on working within the exiting structures and framework for mental health service provision.

This means that any improvements to mental health care will always be limited by the lack of a coherent national vision underlying services.

Without this we will continue to see ad-hoc, uncoordinated and opportunistic service delivery.

This is why it is disappointing that the federal Government have not taken the opportunity to purse the Senate Select Committees recommendation of a network of community-based mental health centres staffed by multidisciplinary teams.

Such an approach would provide the structure for seamless, co-ordinated and integrated care.

And act as a focus for the many solutions for mental health which lie outside of the health sector.

This report continues the Senate’s contribution to the development of better services for people with mental illness. And no doubt the final report, which will contain specific recommendations, will continue the dialogue.

However while the regular attention of the Senate is beneficial, it is no replacement for a more permanent accountability mechanism with an ongoing role of systematic monitoring, evaluation and reporting on mental health services ...including progress or lack thereof in improving the lived experiences of people with a mental illness.

There are many mental health strategies, plans and activities at all levels of government but without measurable outcomes and regular collection of data to see if programs are delivering on health outcomes and services it will be difficult to know whether the additional money we are spending is well- targeted and services are going to those who need them most.

Perhaps the recently announced National Advisory Council on Mental Health will be resourced to undertake this role. If so it is vital that it is able to operate independently of government and that consumer and carers are intimately involved.

I would like to end by thanking the secretariat for the efforts they have put in to bring together this interim report. They have done a great job.

And also by acknowledging and thanking all those who put in submissions, attended hearings and shared their stories with the Committee. Their commitment and efforts to improving mental health care, often over many years, is invaluable.