Mental Health Review — Statement by Parliamentary Secretary — Motion

Extract from Hansard
[COUNCIL — Wednesday, 28 September 2011]
p7855c-7857a
Hon Helen Morton; Chairman; Hon Lynn MacLaren

Mental Health Review — Statement by Parliamentary Secretary — Motion

Hon LYNN MacLAREN: I will make some very short comments on this ministerial statement that arise from a
meeting that I went to on the weekend, which was an alliance of the gay and lesbian lobbyists’ groups—in
particular, Rainbow Labor; GALE, which is a gay and lesbian electoral lobby; the Uniting Church Network; the
Chameleon Society; Pride WA; and me, representing the Greens. I believe that a couple of other organisations
might have attended that meeting at which the issue of youth suicide was raised. Youth suicide is one of those
invisible issues in the state. Often when a person commits suicide, the reason for taking his or her life is not
reported. This marginalised community, especially in the case of young people, tends to be undervalued. One of
the concerns raised at the meeting was that a member of the gay community took his life only a couple of weeks
ago. There are very few services that can cope with the complex issues involving a young person who is coming
out. The development of the state mental health policy and strategic plan is an opportunity to address that, as are
programs in our schools that address people of diverse sexuality and gender and the issues they face. I want to
bring to the attention of the Chair and the Minister for Mental Health the very serious issues facing young
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth and the high rates of youth suicide, which I do not have in
front of me but about which I have written to the minister. I would like to see this strategy produce a proactive
approach that addresses that matter and helps to reduce the rates of youth suicide among that very vulnerable
group.

HON HELEN MORTON: The One Life Team—the state suicide prevention strategy team—approached Gay
and Lesbian Community Services and asked it to participate in the statewide suicide prevention program and
submit a proposal, which the group did. Unfortunately, the first proposal sought a level of funding that was very
administratively cost-heavy and so I asked it to provide a revised proposal. I gave clear guidelines on the
revision that needed to take place to reduce the administrative costs to a level that was consistent with the
strategy and with the other organisations that we were asking to participate in the strategy. The group came back
with a second proposal, the administration costs of which make up more than 75 per cent of the total cost of the
strategy, which is not acceptable in my view. I have indicated to the One Life Team that I would like to
personally meet the representatives from Gay and Lesbian Community Services in my office and assist them in
putting together a proposal that is more consistent with the types of proposals we are seeking to fund through the
strategy. I am convinced that we will come up with a proposal which will work and which the group will
participate in. However, we cannot go down the track of providing more than $112 000, more than 75 per cent of
which would go to administrative costs, when we really want the group to fund the actual services and activities
in the community action plan. I am certain that I can assist the group in that process if and when I can organise
that meeting.

Question put and passed.