Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations - Mental Health Commission
Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations - Mental Health Commission
Hearing commenced at 7.04 pm
Hon ALISON XAMON: I have about 10 pages of questions. I will try to deal with some quick ones first. I refer to the total appropriations on page 883. I note that there is no explicit mention of the program to deal with people with complex needs. I understand that about $50 000 was budgeted for last year. Could the minister please tell me what the actuals ended up being for this year and also what has been projected for next year?
Hon HELEN MORTON: The member is referring to people with exceptionally complex needs, the PECN project. That spans across more than one agency.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I understand that some federal funding is involved as well.
Hon HELEN MORTON: Funding comes from different agencies. The funds for this year have been expended at this date.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Has it gone over budget, not that I would care because I think it is a very important program?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I do not care if it has gone over budget either. I do not know if it has. Mr Bartnik: I understand that all the funds have been expended and if any additional funds are required towards the end of the year, each of the directors general are asked to consider the merits of the case and generally would approve those on a case-by-case basis.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Not surprisingly, there is obviously an increasing need. Anyone could have seen that. What component is budgeted for from the Mental Health Commission this year? Is it an increased level, and what is the figure?
Mr Bartnik: Yes. I do believe that the Mental Health Commission has doubled its contribution to the program in the coming year.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Are you aware of whether the contribution of the other state agencies, not federally, has remained either the same or has increased? I am trying to figure out whether the overall pool for running that program has gone up. I understand that is a question for other departments as well but I am hoping you might have some knowledge of that.
Mr Bartnik: To the best of my understanding, the major funds are the Disability Services Commission and the Mental Health Commission.
Hon ALISON XAMON: If only we had the Minister for Disability Services here! Is it possibly the same?
Mr Bartnik: My understanding is that both the Disability Services Commission and the Mental Health Commission have agreed to increase their contribution next year.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Maybe I can put it on notice to find out exactly how much that will be because I would really like the final dollar figures.
Hon HELEN MORTON: The only reason I am questioning whether I can provide that is that I do not know whether that information is firmed up yet for the beginning of the next financial year.
Hon ALISON XAMON: This is not going to be like Health, is it?
Hon HELEN MORTON: It could be. I will allow the commissioner to talk about that. It is no good shaking your head, Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich, because we are not even at the end of this financial year. As I said in previous hearings, your government did not give budgets out until September.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH: I have not said anything.
Hon HELEN MORTON: I reckon they are doing a fantastic job getting it in by 1 June. I think it is bloody fantastic!
The CHAIR: I think this conversation is between Hon Alison Xamon and the minister.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH: Just stray on track. Focus, focus, focus.
Mr Bartnik: The things I have here are $120 000 for nine people in the 2010–11 year. The plan is to double that to $240 000 for 18 people in the 2011–12 year. To the best of my knowledge, both the Disability Services Commission and the Mental Health Commission have agreed to that contribution.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I move on to something else, again referring to total appropriations and the budget estimate. How much of that money, if any, has been put aside to progress the mental health court intervention program? I understand that the Attorney General will be taking primary carriage of this. As undertakings have been given in this place that this has been done jointly with the Mental Health Commission, I would imagine some money would be put aside for it. Surely there must be money.
Hon HELEN MORTON: The member is quite right in indicating that the mental health court intervention program will be under the Attorney General’s portfolio.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is that where all the money is for it?
Hon HELEN MORTON: That is where the money will be. At this stage we are contributing a small amount to get it up and running. I will let the commissioner say some more about that.
Mr Bartnik: The court intervention program will have a number of components. Some will be related to the court system, which will be the responsibility of the Department of the Attorney General. The mental health assessment and the support for people in the community would come under the Mental Health Commission portfolio.
Hon ALISON XAMON: How much has been put aside from the Mental Health Commission in the next year to progress that?
Mr Bartnik: We have a notional allocation within our purchasing intentions for the Department of Health. The way that the budget works is that we have $6.5 million worth of activity growth funding that we have specified to the Department of Health. The way the process works is that we specify the sorts of activity we wish to purchase. Health, as part of its process of planning its budgets, will consider that, come back to us with the quantity and the level of activity, and then we will settle on a final budget allocation.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Approximately how much is it anticipated that you will be looking at in order to progress it for the next year?
Hon HELEN MORTON: Are you talking about the total?
Hon ALISON XAMON: That is a question for the Department of the Attorney General, and it will be coming. I am asking about the mental health contribution. Approximately how much do you estimate you will be committing towards progressing that this year, and how many FTEs as well?
Hon HELEN MORTON: We do not have that information.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Will that information be available in two weeks’ time? I wonder if we are operating on the same cycle as the answers we got from the health department.
Hon HELEN MORTON: It is different because at this stage it is still subject to a process that involves cabinet. It is not possible for me to disclose that information to you on that basis. I cannot give you any more information than that at this stage.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I will say that the government has already indicated in this place that you are intending to progress it. It is well and truly valid to find out how quickly and what that looks like. That is why I am asking those questions.
I will move on to another point. I refer to the line item “Specialised Community Mental Health” under the service summary on page 884. I am making reference to the 2010-11 budget and the estimated actual. The obvious question is: if people are being turned away, why is there an underspend? I am trying to figure out how there possibly could have been an underspend in community mental health.
[7.50 pm]
Mr Bartnik: Some of the key elements of that would be that in the budget constructed this year was the full allocation for the suicide prevention strategy and also an allocation for the statewide specialist Aboriginal mental health service. For both initiatives, the cash has been preserved and some of the cash has been moved into the following year.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is there any other portion of that money that does not belong to either of those line items that can explain the underspend? For example, did the decision to close the Morley community mental health centre end up saving money?
Hon HELEN MORTON: The situation regarding Morley is that it was not about a saving.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I did not ask what it was about; I wanted to know whether that actually ended up being the result.
Hon HELEN MORTON: There was no saving in that process, so that did not contribute to those figures in the budget papers. I will ask the commissioner to make comment about the figure that you are referring to in the budget papers.
Mr Bartnik: If I can just maybe go back a step, the budget for 2010–11 had a significant amount of non-recurrent mental health strategy funding that was carried over from previous years. The major variations in the current year were the cash flow for the suicide strategy, which was cashflowed into next year; it was similar for the statewide specialist Aboriginal mental health service. There was about $7 million between the two of those. There was $12.8 million worth of non-recurrent expenditure that was transferred to the Department of Housing for the two intermediate-care capital facilities. The non-recurrent funds were moved from the mental health budget to the Department of Housing budget to build the two intermediate-care facilities.
Hon ALISON XAMON: That answers another question that I had. I think you have just answered the question, but can you just clarify why the 2010–11 budget estimate is lower than the 2010–11 budget? It sounds as though that is because you have taken out major expenditure and transferred that into housing; is that correct? Is that the only transfer of expenditure?
Hon HELEN MORTON: Basically, the transfer of the $12.8 million to housing is the significant component of that.
Hon ALISON XAMON: You say that it is significant; what were the other elements?
Hon HELEN MORTON: Closing the Gap, the $3.716 million for the statewide specialist Aboriginal medical service that was flowed over into the following year, and the cash flow adjustment of $3.475 million around the suicide prevention strategy.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Can I just confirm that the latter money for the suicide strategy has not gone anywhere?
Hon HELEN MORTON: No, it has not. You have been sucked in by Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Excuse me! Thank you; I have not been sucked in by anyone! It is a question that is worth clarifying.
Hon HELEN MORTON: Let me tell you that the full $13 million has been preserved wholly and solely for that strategy. The mistake that has been made, if there was one, is that the funding was allocated at a time when the strategy was being developed and it could not be expended. So it has just been rolled over into the out years.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Thank you for clarifying.
Hon KEN TRAVERS: And have you been increasing it every year to match it so you keep the amount growing?
Hon ALISON XAMON: I am sure the minister did not mean to imply that I had been sucked in by anyone. I am sure the minister would respect that I actually know a fair bit about this area.
Hon HELEN MORTON: I do, actually.
Hon KEN TRAVERS: You came to the same conclusion by your own deductive analysis.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH: The minister thinks she is the only one who knows anything.
The CHAIR: Members, members, members! This is a bit boring. Let us have some more questions. Hon Alison Xamon.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I would like to flow on from the questions that were asked by Hon Liz Behjat in relation to the community living support services. I am also interested in getting some more clarity around this. From the way that it is being set up, I foresee that some people who will be subject to these services will not necessarily be in and out of those services; for example, people who have schizophrenia may need ongoing support. I am particularly focusing on the cap of 100 people. Is it envisaged that that will be expanded at some point in the future? How will it be determined whether someone is eligible to be one of those 100 people? How are you going to manage that ongoing need? I am asking a whole range of questions and I am hoping that it gives context to the answer. There is another related question. With the Minister for Housing’s newfound zeal to remove people from Homeswest housing, is it envisaged that that will put increased pressures on the need for these sorts of facilities?
Mr Bartnik: I can take the first question. I think at any point in time our data shows that up to 40 per cent of people in inpatient beds could go home or to a home if there was appropriate support. The 100 packages are geared towards those particular people. Clinical staff are involved, but, importantly, we are going to be bringing families and people’s networks into that equation, and even people like the Official Visitors will also be part of that equation in identifying and prioritising people who wish to move home or to a new home. Then there will be an individual plan developed for those people. I think, by definition, although we have a notional allocation of a package of up to $70 000 per person, some packages might be lower than that and some might be higher than that. Importantly, every person will have their own plan, and the plan will reflect what people need to be well supported and to be safe in the community. The plans will be reviewed and the funding can be provided on an ongoing basis based on the need. The packages can provide ongoing support to people and can be adapted based on their particular need.
Hon ALISON XAMON: The concern I have is about the cap. I am imagining that for many people this is going to be a desirable and lifelong solution, but I am concerned about the people who are going to miss out, because the cap is almost based on a presumption that people will cycle in and out of that need. I am not convinced that everybody who will access those services will fall into that category. I am looking at the forward estimates, and the forward estimates do not indicate that there will be an increase in the money that will be available, with the obvious exception of the 2011–12 to 2012–13 budget jump. I am looking at the future. So what will happen with those people?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I just say at the beginning that this is just the beginning in terms of this individualised funding for people. This is something that is completely new in mental health in Western Australia. It is not something that has been undertaken before for people with a mental illness. It is certainly the model that has been used regularly to date around disability services. Providing individualised packages for people with a mental illness is being piloted through this process. I, along with you, believe that it is the way of the future for people with a mental illness and for mental health funding. These 100 packages that we are talking about is just the beginning.
Truly, it will be quite a monumental step for us to undertake this process in 12 months to get these individualised packages out and to get people using them appropriately.
Hon ALISON XAMON: You just used the word “pilot”. Is that how this is being viewed? Is this being viewed effectively as a trial project or a pilot project?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I think that “phased implementation” is probably a better phrase than the word “trial”, but you do need to understand that this is new and that the way that people are participating in it will require new learning, new understanding and new interaction between the agencies involved.
[8.00 pm]
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is it anticipated that the new policy by the Minister for Housing to kick people out of Homeswest housing will put additional pressure on the requirement to have these services?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I have some understanding of the reference you are making. Let us be very clear. The 100 houses we are starting with will not be managed by the housing commission. The only reason the housing commission is involved in them, from our point of view, is that it is purchasing them or building them for us. The houses will become the responsibility of the Mental Health Commission. The ongoing support for them will be undertaken through contracts with the Mental Health Commission.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Can I clarify that point, if you do not mind? I am getting mixed understandings based on the answers to questions here. From the questions Hon Liz Behjat asked, I was under the impression that part of this was to enable people to stay within their own homes, which may be private rental, living with loved ones or owning outright. I thought that was one option. Another option may be that they are in Homeswest housing. My understanding is that that money was not for the building of bricks and mortar.
Hon HELEN MORTON: You are quite right. There is a separate allocation of funding to build the bricks and mortar. This $25 million is around supporting people to live successfully in those homes. But there is also funding to enable people to live in other homes or live with families et cetera. It is not as though that is the only funding available for people to receive the sort of support they need.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Will only 100 people be eligible for the individualised funding?
Hon HELEN MORTON: It is additional funding for 100 people.
Hon ALISON XAMON: There is the provision of the homes provided by the housing commission—that is what you are saying—and then there is the creation of the individual —
Hon HELEN MORTON: We have got additional funding for 100 packages for personalised care.
Hon ALISON XAMON: That is for the support to stay at home. That 100 places can be for a range of living arrangements that individuals might have at any point. Is that right?
Mr Bartnik: The primary focus for the 100 packages is for people who have been stuck in hospital for a period. In addition, approximately 30 packages will apply to other people in the community whom we deem to be in exceptional circumstances and who might have their own accommodation or might be with their families. We have a little bit of flexibility. But the main thrust of the 100 packages has been to free up hospital beds that have been blocked by people who are in hospital with nowhere to go. That is all part of our thinking about trying to get the best balance between the number of inpatient beds, the right amount of step-down facilities and the right amount of supported accommodation.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Will it also cater for prisoners who have just been released and who also may have identified mental illnesses and may have need, or will they be bumped down the list in priority because they happened to end up in prison rather than in hospital?
Hon HELEN MORTON: There is another project for that, so I will let the commissioner talk about that.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Can you explain the budget line item for the project you are about to explain and where it is?
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH: It is in someone else’s budget I think.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is it in another person’s budget?
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH: It is not in this one.
Mr Bartnik: Can I be clear on the question?
Hon ALISON XAMON: The minister was asking you to explain about a project that I assume will be about assisting prisoners with a mental illness to access housing. Is that what I am about to be told, in which case, I would like to know also where in the budget it is?
Mr Bartnik: It is not a funded project yet. It is a joint project being worked up between a number of the community services directors general. It is a general project about people leaving state care, and between them the directors general are looking to identify funds for that project.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Are there no funds available at the moment for any project of that sort?
Mr Bartnik: Not specifically allocated.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Which directors general are involved in the formation of that?
Mr Bartnik: The key areas are the Disability Services Commission, the Mental Health Commission, the Department for Child Protection and the Department of Corrective Services.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is it envisaged that money will be available in the coming budget or is it simply in the thinking at this point?
Hon HELEN MORTON: In the coming 12 months.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Will that money be made available in the coming 12 months from all four of those budgets?
Mr Bartnik: I think each of the directors general is trying to find current resources to direct to this project. I think probably, a bit like the people with exceptionally complex needs project, there will be a small-scale start and some evidence about how well it is working, and that will be worked up into a budget bid.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I am still waiting for an answer to the question about whether the Minister for Housing’s policy is envisaged and whether that will have an impact on the delivery of services.
Hon HELEN MORTON: I will say something after, but the commissioner is interested in saying something first.
Mr Bartnik: We have had a number of meetings with the housing department about this issue. I think it is sometimes called the three-strikes policy.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I think it is one strike now.
Mr Bartnik: In fact, we are quite well developed in terms of developing an interagency protocol and identifying people at the very early stages, and then, through a generic response, providing support to those people. As we move into the second or third stage, we will have a dedicated mental health plan and strategy that we are working up, which can be brought to bear on those situations.
The aim is to do our very best at an early stage, through a very clear process of pulling in both government and non-government mental health services, to stop people being evicted.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Unfortunately, already people with mental illness are being evicted, so it cannot happen soon enough.
Hon HELEN MORTON: People with a mental illness also know what is right and what is wrong in terms of behaviour.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Not always.
Hon HELEN MORTON: Not always, but a lot of the time they do. I do not think that having a mental illness is an excuse for some behaviours that people are evicted for. I think probably some of those people needed to have been in a different form of accommodation. They probably needed to be in something like a community-supported residential unit, with all the wraparound services necessary and the level of support they need to enable them to live a good life. If we put those people into housing commission homes or multi-storey flats in which they are not well supported, when some of those who have psychotic illnesses that are exacerbated by abuse of alcohol and drugs et cetera, other people living in those flats also need to be considered in terms of what they have to put up with in their lives. If these people are unable to manage alcohol and drugs in a way that will not trigger their psychotic illnesses, they need to be in a more protective environment. I do not necessarily think that that is what has happened in some of those cases. Hopefully, these facilities and the wraparound services we are now talking about will provide a much safer way for these people to live in the community.
Hon ALISON XAMON: As I said, minister, it needs to happen quickly because we are running the risk of having people with mental illnesses evicted and made homeless at the moment, and that is not a solution either.
The CHAIR: I have a number of other people on the list, so I will indicate the order. If we have time, I will come back to people who have additional questions. Hon Linda Savage will be next, followed by Hon Mia Davies, Hon Donna Faragher and Hon Adele Farina, and then we will come back over to my left. We have until 10 o’clock. I will check at some point whether people want a break. At the moment we will go through.
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[Supplementary Information No C7.]
The CHAIR: The question is on notice. I have three more people who have indicated they have got further questions—Hon Alison Xamon, then Hon Ken Travers and Hon Phil Gardiner.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I refer to the total appropriations on page 883. Is there anything in the budget to deliver services and programs for prisoners who have mental health issues? I acknowledge that it ordinarily is the primary responsibility of corrective services, but is there anything in this budget to deliver services or programs for prisoners who have mental health issues?
Hon HELEN MORTON: Obviously, at this stage prisoner mental health services are undertaken by and are therefore contained in the budget related to the Department of Corrective Services.
However, the Director General of Health has some additional information that he would like to provide.
[9.40 pm]
Mr Snowball: The additional information is really around health of prisoners on release. That includes prisoners with mental health conditions as well as physical conditions. As we talked about earlier on the Closing the Gap program, one of the focuses of Closing the Gap, particularly through the Aboriginal medical services and our country services, is to ensure that there is a good transition for prisoners who might receive treatment within prisons but, on their release, often drop that treatment, edication, service programs and so on. So there are now specific programs in place or being put in place to connect with those prisoners, particularly through Aboriginal medical services, to ensure that treatment for those prisoners continues.
Hon ALISON XAMON: To confirm then, there is not anything in this budget to deal with prisoners who are currently in prison. That is what I was wanting to confirm, because it is often the case —
Hon HELEN MORTON: I would just add, Hon Alison Xamon, that one of the key strategies within Future Directions is around decriminalising mental illness, as you have heard me talk about before. Quite a range of initiatives are picked up in that. One of them is looking at a greater range of specialist mental health services to be provided for people in a prison with a mental illness.
Hon ALISON XAMON: That was one of my questions, so maybe I am actually going to get to that now. On page 885, the last dot point, I did want some more detail regarding the establishment of the specialist mental health services. That is the last dot point on page 885.
Hon HELEN MORTON: On page 885?
Hon ALISON XAMON: Page 885, the last dot point referring to the establishment. There were a couple of questions I had regarding that. I was wanting more detail in relation to the establishment of that specialist mental health service. And then I had another question, but I will deal with that one first. It deals with the broader issue on page 887, table one, but I will get to that in a moment.
Hon HELEN MORTON: So the 885 one is —
Hon ALISON XAMON: Page 885 is dealing with the specialist Indigenous mental health service.
Hon HELEN MORTON: What else would you like to know?
Hon ALISON XAMON: I was actually just wanting some more detail about it. It says “implementation is well underway”. What does that actually mean? What does that look like? How far advanced is that?
Hon HELEN MORTON: When previously the discussion was around the extra 60 FTEs, and I think it was Eric Dillon who mentioned how many of those had already been employed and how long it was going to take for the remainder, that is what we were referring to. That is this particular project. Is there something else that you would like to know?
Hon ALISON XAMON: I am trying to go back through my notes, because as people have asked questions, I have been crossing them off, so I am just trying to cross reference that. What I might do is move on to some other questions that are quite clear, if you do not mind. Page 883 lists total appropriations, and I ask: is there any funding in place to look at establishing a declared place?
Hon HELEN MORTON: The requirement for declared places under the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act —
Hon ALISON XAMON: So you are going to put it back to the Attorney General?
Hon HELEN MORTON: Not necessarily. I am just saying that the opportunity under the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act is for people who are unfit to plead to be detained. People with a mental illness can be detained in an authorised mental health hospital. People with a disability cannot be. Of course people who are under the age of 18 do not go to either of those places, but their option is to go to a detention centre. There is work commencing or progressing on a declared place, but at this stage it is primarily focused around the needs of a declared place for a person with a disability, because the only option for those people at the moment is to go to prison.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I am fully aware of that. The minister is saying that it is happening. It sounds to me as though the minister is saying that the funding will primarily be sourced from the Attorney General’s department, if this issue is going to be advanced.
Hon HELEN MORTON: One of the discussions that has taken place this week has been around the Minister for Mental Health, the Minister for Corrective Services and the Attorney General and which portfolio would take responsibility for the declared place for people with a disability. I cannot be much more specific than that, because, once again, this is subject to a cabinet process that is yet to be finalised.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I refer to page 889, the table headed “Details of Controlled Grants and Subsidies”, and the first line item, “Mental Health Advisory Council”. The funding for that is $150 000 recurrent. Is that funding just for sitting fees, or is it for other activities? What is it anticipated that money will be spent on?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I will ask Lesley van Schoubroeck to comment on this.
Ms van Schoubroeck: That is an estimate. The council has just started. It does include salary for an executive officer, which we are estimated will be about a half-time.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is it anticipated that sitting fees will be part of any future budget item?
Ms van Schoubroeck: The sitting fees are incorporated, and they have already been approved by the Public Service Commissioner.
Hon ALISON XAMON: So the $150 000 is executive support, plus sitting fees?
Ms van Schoubroeck: Yes.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Is it anticipated that any other activities will come out of that budget line item? It does not sound as though there will be much left over.
Ms van Schoubroeck: No. The council has just had its first meeting, and it is looking at how it will operate. This is an indicative amount for its first year.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Also in relation to that first table, I want to get some explanation about the line item for the funding of the Western Australian Association of Mental Health Consumers. I understand that the consultant who advised on the formation of this peak consumer body indicated that the funding of $250 000 was not likely to be enough. Is that just set-up funding? Is it intended that there will be any payment for consumer participation? Will this include secretariat or executive officer support? What is that money for?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I will again ask Lesley van Schoubroeck to speak on this, and I will speak after her.
Ms van Schoubroeck: That indicative amount should provide the basic staff for that body. The process is just being gone through now to be finalised. One would imagine that once this organisation is up and running, like every other non-government organisation it will be able to get funding for particular projects. So that is just its core funding. It is likely also that in the initial period some money will be set aside to help the organisation to set up. That is very much a base.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Can I confirm that that funding is just intended to be base funding, and for any activities over and above that, it is intended that the organisation will raise its own revenue?
Ms van Schoubroeck: The discussion with the consumers is that they would operate and do some standard stuff, and they would then bid for projects, or project money would go to them from the commission or other places for specific initiatives.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Has that model been finalised yet—the model of the consumer body effectively raising its own funds?
Ms van Schoubroeck: The way it has gone has been to help the consumers build a basic core. How it actually operates will evolve over the next 12 months. That funding is really to give that consumer-led organisation an opportunity to get started. I am sure it will evolve.
Hon HELEN MORTON: Can I just clarify that this was an election commitment—that we would enable mental health consumers in Western Australia to have a voice. At the moment, there is a group of people in 16 different organisations, and not one of those organisations is sufficiently robust or holds sufficient clout in the state to enable the mental health consumers to be heard in any particular way that would give them the authority that I think they deserve.
[9.50 pm]
Our commitment, therefore, was to find a way of bringing the collective mental health consumer entities together under some kind of a peak organisation or some kind of mechanism by which they could actually have a significant say in things such as mental health policy and directions et cetera. Although we thought that it would be a good idea to establish a non-government organisation to undertake that role on behalf of mental health consumers, the mental health consumers themselves said that they would prefer an association of mental health consumers so that they could continue to participate in their own individual organisations and retain their own individual entities. I think the tender process for that is closed—or is it still open?
Ms van Schoubroeck: It is closed. The assessments are underway.
Hon HELEN MORTON: It has been out to tender and organisations have now put in bids to provide the directorate and the capability for the association to function on behalf of the 16 different—or however many more—mental health consumer entities operating in Western Australia. I would have thought $250 000 a year for an association of that type to operate is a pretty reasonable amount of funding.
Hon ALISON XAMON: Are you envisaging that it is primarily for executive support?
Hon HELEN MORTON: I am, but if they were to undertake any other activity over and above that, other than provide the association kind of service, they would need to source that funding from wherever they could. For example, if they wanted to enter into training peer-group workers to work in hospitals or something of that nature, they would need to be able to access funding from the relevant entity, probably the Mental Health Commission. They would have to put in a submission, and that would be considered along with other submissions from other organisations that might want to do the same thing. So, this is about them getting up and running as an association with a directorate that gives them the capability to function.
Hon ALISON XAMON: I have another question.
The CHAIR: I am sorry; I will have to give the call to another member. I know that it is very frustrating, but we are due to finish at 10.00 pm and two other members have indicated that they have questions. Further questions will have to be submitted at the end of the session.
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