evening to speak on a topic which is often ignored, the

topic of mental health. Mental illness is prevalent in

our society. One in every five Australians is likely to

experience some form of mental illness each year. It

costs the Australian economy, in terms of lost productivity

and lost lives, around $30 billion each year. Yet it

remains an area which is underfunded and poorly serviced

by both state and federal governments. I would

like to pay tribute to the work of beyondblue and their

chair, a former Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett. I think

they have done enormous good in helping people to

recognise mood disorders like depression and also in

trying to change the community approach towards

mental illness, to help to destigmatise mental illness.

The greatest burden falls on the families of those

with mental illness. Families often do the bulk of caring

with insufficient support or understanding from the

wider community. Research shows that most mental

illnesses begin between the ages of 15 and 25. Family

breakdowns, peer group pressure and social ostracism

can all play contributing roles, leading to the onset of

mental illness. We need to do more to support our

young people and ensure they receive the treatment

and support they need when they need it.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report

released this week shows that the number of hospital

beds for mental health is declining by an average of

almost four per cent a year. We need certainty that public

hospitals are equipped to deal with increasing numbers

of patients with mental health concerns. We need

certainty that we have appropriately trained mental

health specialists and nursing staff who can treat these

patients, and we need certainty that these people will

receive appropriate support in the community.

In my home state of South Australia, we have a state

government which is more interested in establishing a

movie hub than helping those with mental illness. The

Rann government have committed to selling 42 per

cent of the land at Glenside, where our major mental

health facility is. Whilst happy to commit to photoopportunities,

they persist in neglecting mental health

initiatives that would benefit vulnerable South Australians.

Country areas are particularly badly serviced by

many Australians living in rural areas. Suicides in regional

and remote parts of Australia are 1.2 to 2.4

times higher than those in major cities. These areas in

particular need better support services.

The former coalition government acknowledged the

importance of mental health, committing $1.9 billion to

mental health in the 2006 budget. That was a very farreaching

reform. We introduced new Medicare rebates

to enable people with mental illnesses to access improved

services from GPs and psychiatrists and, on

referral, from clinical psychologists. The Rudd government

have shown no such empathy for those with

mental illness. One of their recent budget decisions

was to remove access to Medicare benefits for occupational

therapists and social workers. Fortunately, this

ill-thought-through decision lasted only a week, with a

whole sector up in arms and with many of the most

vulnerable in our community affected by this, before

another spectacular Rudd government backflip.

The criticism of lack of action by the government

has been widespread. Only this week we have seen the

John Mendoza, who was the head of the National Advisory

Council on Mental Health, due to his frustration

at a lack of action and vision on the part of the government.

Professor Mendoza was specifically appointed

to this position by the Prime Minister, yet after

two years of inaction and nothing but rhetoric he has

conceded that the government has no vision for mental

health and has decided he can better serve this cause in

another role.

With appropriate treatment and early intervention,

people can often recover from mental illness. But it is

vital that the necessary treatments and supports be

made available, allowing people to lead fulfilling lives.

These vulnerable Australians have been let down by

the Rudd Labor government. This government has

failed to invest in the mental health initiatives and necessary

services that could assist people with mental

illness to manage their illness or recover over time.