Page 3149 - Week 10 - Thursday, 18 October 2007
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Assembly on 25 September 2007. The department has identified several inadvertent errors in the tabling of the report that were caused during typesetting. Additionally, the audited accounts for the Housing Act included some last-minute adjustments agreed with the Audit Office in the final days prior to certification which were not reflected in the accounts included in the annual report. I present the correct financial papers as part of the corrigendum for the information of members.
Health and Disability—Standing Committee
Report 4—government response
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (3.39): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the following paper:
Health and Disability—Standing Committee—Report 4—Appropriate Housing for People Living with a Mental Illness—Government response.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
It gives me great pleasure to today table the ACT government’s response to the Standing Committee on Health and Disability report No 4, Appropriate housing for people living with a mental illness. I would like to commend the standing committee for its consideration of this complex and challenging issue and to acknowledge the broad range of stakeholders who provided input into the inquiry process and recognise their commitment to improving mental health and housing services and subsequently the lives of people who live with mental illness. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of the mental health consumers and their carers who participated in the inquiry and thank them for allowing their experiences to inform the committee’s consideration.
Mr Speaker, the ACT government welcomes the standing committee’s report and its recommendations, as it provides an opportunity to recognise the strengths and achievements of current mental health and housing services. It also provides an opportunity to confirm the ACT government’s commitment to the delivery of effective, efficient and responsive health and support services and the vital role these services play in the fabric of our community.
The standing committee report makes 15 recommendations. The government agrees to six of the recommendations, three are agreed to in principle, and six recommendations have been noted, as there are a range of program and policy initiatives underway which meet the terms of these recommendations. No recommendations are disagreed with by the government.
The report identifies that access to and maintenance of suitable accommodation and mental health support services are interrelated for people with mental illness. The stability of one can directly determine a person’s ability to access and manage the other. Appropriate support to assist people to manage their mental illness plays a critical role in maintaining housing stability, which in turn provides greater personal
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