Mental health plan pushed back

WA Mental Health Minister Helen Morton admitted last month a pre-election commitment to establish a mental health facility in the Pilbara would be pushed back almost four years.

During the Sate election in February, Ms Morton said the State Government would allocate $6.2 million to build mental health facilities that would provide around-the-clock support for people with mental illnesses in Karratha and Bunbury.

However, when shadow health minister Stephen Dawson questioned Ms Morton during an estimates committee meeting about the facilities, she admitted there was no money allocated in this year's State Budget or in forward estimates.

"The minister and the Liberal Party made a commitment by way of press release for $6.2 million to build a facility in Karratha and a facility in Bunbury," he said.

"I asked the minister the question - 'where was the money' - and she admitted that there is no money in this year's Budget and basically we're unlikely to see the new facilities until the next election.

"This commitment was made during the election campaign … so the Liberal Party put this policy forward and now it's a broken promise."

Mr Dawson said the promised mental health facilities were badly needed in the Pilbara, which currently has no facility for people just released from acute psychiatric care and need more support before re-joining their normal lives.

There is also no support for those with mental illness but are not sick enough to be hospitalised.

"The Pilbara, in general, has been crying out for mental health facilities," Mr Dawson said.

"Karratha is one of the fastest growing towns or cities … new people are arriving every day. The minister admitted that it is a badly needed service, and she was disappointed there was no money in the Budget for it.

"But the buck stops with her … she's the minister, she knows there's a need for this service, she put out a press release saying there was such a need for this service, and now there's no money in the Budget."

Ms Morton said planning for the new facilities were still at an early stage and the Mental Health Commission would manage the initial planning within its resources.

"The WA Government is planning for future mental health service needs through the development of a comprehensive 10-year Mental Health Services Plan," she said

"Aside from the Mental Health Commission's $3.2 million investment in mental health education, mental illness prevention and stigma reduction programs, in 2013-14 $543,000 will be provided to Lifeline which will provide crisis support and suicide prevention services."

While in Karratha for the Pilbara Pulse Economic Summit, Member for the Pilbara Brendon Grylls said while he had been unaware of the election promise, the mental health facility for Karratha would most likely be part of the new Karratha Health Campus.

"I think it was always likely it would be part of the new health campus, and so I'm sure Helen Morton is working with Kim Hames to have that incorporated in," he said.

"That would seem to make sense to me.

"It needs to part of the overall allied health delivery in the Pilbara, and the new health campus is designed for that."