Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Moore for her second supplementary question. The Gillard government's mental health package recognises the diverse impact of mental illness through a person's lifetime. The government is committed to building services around the user and to stopping families from being shifted from one service to another. We do not want people falling between the cracks in this area. We have provided nearly $550 million over five years to better coordinate mental health services for something in the order of 24,000 people with severe and persistent mental illness and complex multiagency support needs. The government is investing a further $344 million. This will shift the onus away from where it currently is—on individuals with severe mental illness and their families, who have been responsible for traversing through the complex range of services. The government will fund local organisations and will provide a single point of contact. (Time expired)