Page 4188 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 26 November 2013
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model of care has been reviewed by an external expert, Professor David Chaplow, who is a forensic psychiatrist and a former director of mental health and chief adviser in the New Zealand Ministry of Health. So we have actively sought out expert opinion because it is important to get this project right. There is a chance that if we had built it along the lines of what was intended a couple of years ago it would not have met the needs of our community.
People can poke fun at and criticise the length of time it has taken to get this to where we are today, but the reality is that we have to build a service that is going to last in the long-term interests of this community. There are not too many other populations of only 360,000 that support a secure mental health unit. In other jurisdictions, when you are looking to provide care to this very highly specialised—
Mr Coe: You’re using a different rationale for light rail.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Coe.
MS GALLAGHER: I do not know that you can point to light rail and contrast it.
MADAM SPEAKER: That would be disorderly, to intervene.
MS GALLAGHER: It would. But the mocking around light rail versus the highly specialised need of forensic mental health diminishes the task for government, which is actually getting the service right and making sure that people who need forensic care, who are getting it now, can get it provided in a building that has been built to meet their needs. We actually are providing forensic mental health care now. We are providing it in various infrastructure. (Time expired.)
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, have you learned any lessons from the problems of mixed populations at the AMC in planning this facility?
MS GALLAGHER: The answer to that is: we are aware of the need to balance different population groups within secure settings. But the answer to that is not to throw out all the work that has been done and then start building four or five different mini units. If you think the answer is to build four secure units across Canberra as a way of managing some of those challenges, you are wrong. And on this one, the Public Advocate is wrong as well.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mrs Jones.
MRS JONES: Minister, why is this facility not open already as you have previously promised?
MS GALLAGHER: Because the government has taken the time to get the model of care right.
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