Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Moore and Senator Humphries, move:

That the Senate—

(a)   notes that:

  (i)   10 October was World Mental Health Day which aims to raise public awareness about mental health issues worldwide,

  (ii)   this event promotes open discussions on illnesses, as well as investments in prevention and treatment services,

  (iii)   Mental Health Day falls within Mental Health Week which in 2011 will be celebrated from 9 October to 15 October 2011,

  (iv)   1 in 5 of us in 2011 will experience a mental illness and at any given time more than 600 000 Australians are affected by severe mental illness,

  (v)   ready access to services can dramatically reduce long-term disability resulting from mental illness, and

  (vi)   all Australians share a responsibility to minimise the discrimination faced by people affected by mental illness;

(b)   recognises that:

  (i)   mental illness is experienced across a lifespan and most illnesses emerge before the age of 25,

  (ii)   most people affected by mental illness can recover a good quality of life with the right supports and community acceptance,

  (iii)   services responding to mental illness should not be confined to health care and community based services have an important role to play,

  (iv)   services must recognise and respond to the impact of mental illness on families and carers, and

  (v)   in the Australian context better integration of Commonwealth and state services is essential to deliver the holistic care required by people experiencing mental illness as well as their families and friends; and

(c)   calls on the Government to:

  (i)   collaborate effectively across all tiers of government and across the full range of health, community, housing, employment and education services to ensure properly integrated responses to mental illness,

  (ii)   recognise that the health system's response to mental illness must address the poor physical health status of people affected by mental illness, including higher rates of most major diseases and reduced life expectancy, and

  (iii)   recognise that the burden of mental illness ranks among the most serious health problems faced by Australians and continue to build the capacity of the mental health system to reflect this.

Question agreed to.