Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about a critical issue for all Australians, and that is mental health. It was with great pleasure that I added the mental health portfolio to my other portfolios, but I would like to acknowledge the work done by my colleague Senator Janet Rice and her predecessor, Senator Penny Wright. Both of them did absolutely sterling work in this portfolio. I really was pleased to take over the mental health portfolio again—I had it previously and thoroughly enjoyed the work. I believe it is absolutely essential that we address this issue in this country.

Last week we marked R U OK? Day on 8 September and then, on 10 September, World Suicide Prevention Day. Both these days are important for raising this critically important issue. They recognise the tragic impact that suicide has across Australia. Statistics show that suicide is at the highest level in 10 years—it has not fallen in 10 years. Clearly, more needs to be done to address the issue of suicide. There were more than 2,000 deaths from intentional harm in 2014—the latest available figures. I chaired one of several inquiries into mental health conducted by the community affairs committee, and we looked at how important it is to get accurate statistics—and I think that we still have some work to do there. I was really pleased that the Senate supported a motion yesterday that called for a suicide reduction target.

Suicide has impacts across Australia. One particular group who are affected by suicide is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is a tragedy across Australia, and I know that in Western Australia, particularly in the north, we have absolutely tragic levels that need urgent investment. I have spoken in this place before about the distress caused because the government has failed to spend the money that was previously committed to address the suicide crisis that was happening, and continues to happen, in the Kimberley.

I would also like to take a moment to say to anybody listening at the moment or, in fact, reading this later: if this brings up issues for you, call Lifeline, on 131114, or any other of the excellent services, like beyondblue or headspace. Their numbers are readily available.

Since taking over this portfolio I have been consulting with many organisations working in mental health to find out where we are at in more detail in terms of mental health. It seems while there has been some progress we also still have very, very significant issues to address, so it is sometimes two steps forward and one step back. The mental health sector talks of facing unpredictable change and uncertainty, and when I have been talking to people over this last couple of weeks that is certainly the conclusion that I would draw. We know that there are many steps that need to be taken, and of the many things that are being called for some are not new.

There is consistent concern expressed about the future of community mental health services, and I will come back to that. There is a call for targets and indicators, as recommended by the National Mental Health Commission when they released their report last year. There is deep concern that there has been little progress on the Fifth National Mental Health Plan and, in particular, getting a draft out for consultation. There is a great deal of uncertainty over that, particularly given the government's commitment, when the Mental Health Commission's report was released, about starting that process. There is concern over investment—and, again, I will come back to that—particularly in early intervention and prevention. There needs to be certainty around grants and funding to avoid disruption for providers. Again, the same old, same old is that providers are unsure of ongoing funding.

There is also a need to make sure that the Primary Health Networks are supported in the vital role that they have been given in the provision of services and that primary health and clinical services have the complementary community mental health services. Despite clear requests and advocacy by the mental health sector, the national mental health plan seems to be still in limbo. This is, of course, the Fifth National Mental Health Plan, and it is vitally important that progress on this is commenced and that there is extensive community consultation with all stakeholders. It is critical to ensure that we have adequate care across Australia, and this plan plays a vital part in that.

As I had this portfolio previously and was heavily involved in lobbying for more expenditure on mental health, what distresses me a great deal is that, although there has been some additional commitments, spending per capita is in fact dropping. There is particular concern around expenditure on community mental health. It is essential that we make sure that we have significant investment if we are going to address mental health and see significant progress.

When I have talked to people over recent weeks one of the areas that has come up consistently is how mental health is sitting with the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Now, I do not for one minute want anybody reading or listening to this to think that we do not support the NDIS, because we are strong supporters of the NDIS. But one of the issues that has been raised consistently with me is how mental health is being addressed in the NDIS and what happens to those people who, in fact, do not get packages. What people are finding is that it looks like people are not going to get the same level of support they may have in the past, because programs like Partners in Recovery and PHaMs are being wound back, so those vitally important services will not be available, potentially, for people who do not qualify for a full package under the NDIS.

The other issue that goes hand in hand with those programs being wound back is that some states are putting all their funding into the NDIS and are not supporting community health services and other services that support people who do not qualify for the NDIS. I think it is foreseen that 12 per cent of people with mental illness will qualify for an NDIS package. There is simply not enough funding in what was commonly called tier 2 or the LIC component of the NDIS to support all those people that do not qualify for a full package under the NDIS.

In my consultation, this seems to be raising increasing concern in the sector, and I think it needs to be urgently addressed by the government because what I certainly am hearing is that some figures can be slightly misleading in terms of the number of people that they suggest are actually getting packages. Some of the figures that are being used talk about the number of people who got a package having applied for a package. But when you look beneath those statistics there are large number of people who did not in fact apply for a package in the first place. I am not saying some of the figures are deliberately misleading, but they can be misinterpreted to the point where they are misleading in terms of the number of people that are getting support through the NDIS. I will say again: I am not having a go per se at the NDIS; it is about the way that people are being supported outside the NDIS. This needs urgent attention before it is too late.