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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (28 February) . . Page.. 445 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

The problems of mental illness in the ACT and everywhere else in Australia are many and they are complex. People who experience mental health problems often experience rejection and discrimination. They certainly need assistance, but predominantly they need support and acceptance. The Mental Health Tribunal and the associated procedures and processes have been in operation for a while now, and they certainly have not been without their problems. The majority of people who have become involved in the mental health network do, though, have their problems resolved quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, there is a small group of people who, even with our new mental health legislation, we still are not handling as well as I, and I am sure the rest of this Assembly, would like.

It is an issue that I am very pleased the Social Policy Committee is looking at. The Government is continuing to look at ways to upgrade our service facilities, to upgrade the way we integrate our critical care beds with our community-based services. I believe that a lot has been done to achieve improvements in that area, but there is no doubt that in mental health we are still underresourced in the ACT. The only way we are going to address that underresourcing is if we can address the problems of costs in critical care. When we have addressed the costs of Woden Valley Hospital, we will be able to appropriately resource mental health.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Motion (by Mr Humphries) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

MR HIRD (5.23): It has been brought to my attention that the Federal Government is putting great emphasis, as did the former Labor Government of the ACT, on the creation of jobs, in particular, for our youth and on pushing the barrow of the promotion of small business within this great Territory. My attention has been drawn to a comment earlier this month by a national body, the National Tax and Accountants Association, that there were 44 small businesses going into bankruptcy in Australia every day - 44 small businesses, which are usually family businesses. That is 21.5 per cent up on last year. So much for the current Federal Government's support of small business. The figures show that there will be 16,000 personal bankruptcies this financial year.

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