Page 170 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 28 November 2012
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the community sector in conjunction with government services. That is how the community sector and government mental health sector work now. It is how they will work under this agreement reached with the Greens.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Minister, will this service be provided by ACT Health or contracted out to a community-based organisation?
MS GALLAGHER: The CAT team is a team that is ACT Health Directorate staff. That again will be determined in consultation with the sector. If there is extra money to go into mental health, it will be negotiated between the non-government providers and the government provider. At the moment we have the largest proportion of any jurisdiction anywhere funding community-based mental health services. Some of that is delivered by the Health Directorate and some is more appropriately delivered by the non-government sector. The non-government sector have indicated a desire to provide after-hours crisis support, or have some additional capacity to do that. Also, on the other side, the CAT team I think would benefit from additional resources as well. That will be negotiated within the envelope that we have identified.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Chief Minister, can you advise what threats there would be to the implementation of this very positive initiative without negotiation with these service providers?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Gentleman for the question. The challenge in the health sector is always ensuring that you have the clinicians, the experts in the field providing the advice about how to roll out particular programs. Politicians cannot determine how particular programs in the health sector are to be delivered. We can certainly say that this is for after-hours crisis and assessment—
Mr Hanson: You don’t even know what it is.
MS GALLAGHER: I do know what it is, Mr Hanson.
Mr Hanson: You don’t know when it’s being delivered, how much it costs.
MS GALLAGHER: I do know what it is and I have to say I know a lot more about it than you. What I am saying to you is that this will be negotiated with the non-government sector as part of the $35 million that we made available. I do not even think the Liberal Party had a mental health policy, did you? Did you have anything to say about mental health at all? I do not recall it. But you certainly did not have a $35 million package—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson!
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