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  • Ageing and Mental Health forgotten in COAG Deal Mark II

    15/02/11

    The Prime Minister’s Heads of Agreement is breathtaking in its lack of attention to mental health and ageing. Yet again, these two vital areas have been forgotten.

    Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Shadow Minister for Mental Health, said it was implausible that the Prime Minister could claim to be introducing national health reform without addressing the failings in mental health and ageing.

    “This Agreement sets out the shared intention of the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments to work in partnership to improve health outcomes for all Australians and to ensure the sustainability of the Australian health system,” reads the Heads of Agreement.

    “Two thirds of people with a mental illness receive no treatment and nothing is likely to change under this agreement. We know it wasn’t even on the table because COAG is going to have a special meeting on mental health later this year.

    “That is cold comfort for people struggling with mental illness now.

    “There is a crisis in aged care with only 40 per cent of residential aged care services operating in the black. There are 3,000 hospital beds filled every night by people who should be in nursing homes, people the former Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, called bed blockers.

    “The Coalition took a Mental Health plan and an Ageing plan to the 2010 election and these programs continue to be supported by the health sector.

    “Prime Minister Gillard is offering 45 per cent of the growth in costs in 2014-15 and up to 50 per cent in 2017-18. This is a leap of faith agreement, lacking in detail.

    “You cannot have real health reform without reform of ageing and mental health. Millions of older Australians and Australians suffering from mental illness need help now.”
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Concetta Fierravanti-Wells

Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health

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