Ruth Webber (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the same issue. Also a member of the former Senate Select Committee on Mental Health, I too was tragically disappointed by the government’s decision in the vote today and, whilst it is not my role to reflect on a decision of this chamber, it is my role to reflect on the decision of this government. This is a government that heralds its commitment to mental health. It heralds it particularly in Mental Health Week with numerous public functions to which only government members are invited. They do not seem to hold out the spirit of bipartisanship to reflect the priority that should be given to mental health by those in the community. Instead the Hon. Christopher Pyne, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, decides usually only to have government members attend select events and functions. He does not decide, anyway, to invite anyone else who may be committed and, in fact, may have an understanding of these issues.

This is a complete contrast to those of us on all sides of this chamber who were involved in the Senate select committee. We all put our partisanship to one side and came up with a unanimous report because we decided as opinion leaders and makers in this country that we needed to actually get onboard with the views of this community and give mental health the priority that the community has given it for a very long time. All of us on that committee still share that view, so it is very sad that the government, rather than individual members of the Liberal Party, decided to ram through this decision. I have been told that it is because we wanted a select committee. This is from the same government that declared they would not use or abuse their majority in this place. Apparently, it is because we wanted a select committee—if only we would agree to refer it to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs. This is the same committee that deals with any piece of health, FaCSIA or other legislation that comes before this place. So it would seem to key members of the government rather than key members of this place that mental health should slot in with an increase in, say, the private health insurance rebate, the decision to sell Medibank Private or anything else—it is of the same standing.

I am sorry, but to the community it is not, to state and territory governments it is not, to members of this place it is not, to significant members of the Liberal Party it is not. I find it galling, to say the least, that the government has decided that it is. Those of us who were appointed to the Senate select committee agreed that we would put our partisanship to one side. People like me would cop due criticism of state governments for their failings in the delivery of mental health services just as members of the government would cop due criticism for the federal government’s failings. We would do our best to compromise and come up with a unanimous report.

It is therefore a pity, to say the least, that the spirit of that committee could not continue in this place and maintain the watching brief. I have been in this place before and talked about the challenge of maintaining a watching brief. Indeed, I did not write to all members of the committee when I said that I would, because I was led to believe that the government would actually maintain their commitment and reconvene in some way, be it formal or informal, that watching brief. So it is tragic, that they have decided today to use their numbers, to use their majority in this place, to sell short those who believed in that report, who believed in the government’s commitment and who believed in our commitment to deliver to those who are most in need of our service.

It is a tragedy that the government have decided to sell short the commitment of people like the former Premier of Victoria, Mr Kennett; former minister for health, Mr Rob Knowles, who I know personally is disappointed with this government’s decision; former Premier and my good friend Dr Geoff Gallop; the former Western Australian minister for health and former Chair of the Mental Health Council, Mr Keith Wilson; and, of course, the former Premier of New South Wales, Mr Bob Carr—all of whom are passionately committed to putting aside their partisan beliefs to deliver solutions to this disease burden and to deliver to this need in our community. The government, not the Liberal Party members in this place, have decided to ram through the rule that we can no longer have select committees. Apparently, this should just be another issue that the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs might get around to dealing with at some point, when in fact the chair of the community affairs committee said that he would prefer a select committee because the community affairs committee is too busy to deal with this issue. That is the reason we were given for the referral of the privatisation of Medibank Private. We were told: ‘You cannot send it to community affairs because they are very busy; it should go to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration.’

Well, I am sorry; the government cannot have it both ways. You either agree that this is a priority, that it needs to be bipartisan, that it is a community priority and that we are going to find a solution to this incredibly important issue or you are going to play partisan politics and you do not care. That is the decision we made today: you do not care. You do not care about the people who suffer from chronic depression and other mental illnesses. You just want to make it a side issue that will go to a Senate committee amongst every other issue. You do not think it is a significant issue, and that is a tragedy for the 20 per cent of our population who suffer from mental illness.