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Tuesday 29 October 2019 The Speaker, Ms Hickey, took the Chair at 10 a.m., acknowledged the Traditional People and read Prayers. MATTER OF INDULGENCE Correction of Record - Engagement of Consultants Mr FERGUSON (Bass - Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) - Madam Speaker, on indulgence, I would like to take this opportunity to correct the record on an answer I gave on our previous sitting day. In response to a question without notice I advised that consultants were not engaged in the drafting of the draft 30-year infrastructure strategy. I am now aware that this was not correct, although it was my belief at the time. I understand there was consultant work to support the 30- year strategy in its development phase commissioned prior to my appointment in this portfolio. I wrongly believed the work was all done by our team at Infrastructure Tasmania. Mine was an honest mistake. However, I apologise to the House. I corrected the public record through the media as soon as I became aware and undertook to correct the parliamentary record at my first opportunity, as is our custom with unintentional errors. QUESTIONS Royal Hobart Hospital - Mental Health Beds Ms WHITE question to MINISTER for HEALTH, Ms COURTNEY [10.03 a.m.] The Coroner's Court has heard harrowing evidence about the circumstances that led to a man taking his own life in the toilet of the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department while waiting for a bed. In sworn evidence an ambulance paramedic said it was not uncommon to wait up to 10 hours with a patient at the emergency department, which means that their ambulance is parked outside the hospital unable to respond to emergencies. There have been unacceptable instances of patients with mental ill health forced to wait seven days in the emergency department before they can get a bed. Are you willing to be open and transparent enough to say that these things and these circumstances are plainly unacceptable? Your predecessor, the failed former health minister, cut the number of mental health beds at the Royal Hobart Hospital and did not make provisions to increase them in the new hospital, meaning there still will not be enough beds once the new Royal development comes on line. Will you finally listen to the advice of clinicians and increase the number of acute mental health beds at the Royal Hobart Hospital to stop patients dying while they are waiting for the care that they need? What are you actually going to do to stop this from happening again? 1 29 October 2019 ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for the question. It is a very important issue and I am pleased to provide an update to the House. The Government is focused on delivering better mental health care for Tasmanians through our $104 million mental health plan, with more beds, more community-based support, and more support for people and staff. We know that emergency departments are not the best places for people experiencing an acute case of mental ill health. That is why we are implementing the hospital avoidance program. This is a new service model based on the recommendations of the Integration Taskforce report finalised earlier this year, which will deliver improved and better integrated mental health care for those who find themselves in the ED or other clinical settings. Importantly, it will feature GP out-of-hours assistance, expanded crisis response and centre-based alternatives to the ED for assessment and treatment 24/7 as well as expanded adult community mental health services. The Government has already responded to increased mental health pressure in our community with six new beds at Tolosa Street and individual packages of care made available through Baptcare as well as more than 100 community based mental health beds that we fund. The new Mental Health Hospital in the Home services commenced this year on the advice of Tasmania's chief psychiatrist. It is reducing hospital admissions at the Royal Hobart Hospital with a positive impact on patient flow. This service allows people in an acute phase of mental illness, who otherwise may have had to have been admitted to hospital, to now receive intensive, evidence- based support in a more comfortable home environment. Over the long term, we are opening 44 new beds at the Royal next year. This will include a new six-bed mental health assessment unit, allowing about 2500 more Tasmanians to get the care they need each year. Other initiatives to address patient flow and ramping include additional funding in the 2019-20 Budget and the implementation of a new community rapid response service and the implementation of the Access Solutions plan. With regard to the individual case that was mentioned by the member, as minister and as a Government, we send our best to Mr Lattimer's loved ones and his family. Our thoughts go out to him. I assure the House and the Tasmanian community that patient safety is always the THS's top priority. There have been a number of processes and care changes to improve safety of mental health patients in the ED but there is always more to do. Northern Regional Prison - Alternative Sites Ms WHITE question to MINISTER for CORRECTIONS, Ms ARCHER [10.07 a.m.] The people of Westbury were blindsided when you announced you would build a maximum- security prison on their doorstep. They do not believe it is the right site for a prison and the Labor Party agrees with them. The mayor of the Meander Valley, Wayne Johnston, has unfairly suffered the consequences of the botched consultation process for your maximum-security Westbury prison. He has been forced to front angry community members while you have been missing in action. 2 29 October 2019 Yesterday, the mayor revealed that he had gone over your head to implore the Premier to release the list of the nine other short-listed sites. He also asked you to explain clearly and publicly why Westbury was selected as the preferred site. Will you agree to Mr Johnson's request and release the list of the nine short-listed areas? Will you finally tell the people of Westbury why you picked their historic town as the preferred site for the prison? ANSWER Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. It gives me an opportunity to clarify a few things. The other side is very good at whipping up fear in a community, as we have seen on a number of occasions across a number of issues of importance. Ms O'Byrne - It is not our fault that your plan is scary. Madam SPEAKER - Order, please. Ms ARCHER - What was that from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition? Ms O'Byrne - It is not our fault that your plan is frightening people. Madam SPEAKER - Order, please. Can I please have order and discipline? Ms ARCHER - As we can see from that interjection, they are very good at being critical but they clearly have no plan in this area. They certainly do not have any policy on corrections. I will make it clear to this House, to members opposite, and to all Tasmanians that we are working our way through a process for the new regional prison. Direct community consultation has always been at the forefront of this process. When we called for expressions of interest, councils from the northern region were specifically invited to identify sites - Members interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Order. Warnings will start from this moment forward. Ms ARCHER - Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is very important because there is a complete lack of understanding from those opposite - Mr O'Byrne - Of consultation, yes. Madam SPEAKER - Mr O'Byrne, warning one. Ms ARCHER - who are misrepresenting the facts in the media and it is being repeated. When we called for expressions of interest, councils from the north and north-west regions were specifically invited to identify sites, either publicly or privately owned, and submit them, with some choosing to do so. Ms O'Byrne - So it is the council's fault. Madam SPEAKER - Ms O'Byrne, warning one. 3 29 October 2019 Ms ARCHER - Community consultation could not begin until a preferred site was determined to be able to consult on. All it is is a preferred site. This is the very start of a process. Dr Broad interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Dr Broad, one. Ms O'Byrne interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Two, Ms O'Byrne. Members interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - I wish I knew who that was because you would have got one too. Ms ARCHER - Madam Speaker, we recognise and have always recognised that the announcement of the preferred site near the Valley Central industrial precinct outside of Westbury has raised questions in the community. We want to work with them to answer them. I want to make it clear again that this is the preferred site on which we are consulting and we are listening to community feedback. However, there is a lot of misinformation being spread in the Meander community, particularly by the Labor Party, and we are keen to address concerns and dispel any mistruths. The residents and businesses of Meander Valley can be assured we are listening and responding to their concerns. We believe the project will be a positive for the broader region. We will be working closely with them. More than 4000 pamphlets have been distributed across Westbury, Exton, Hagley and surrounding districts. Members interjecting. Madam SPEAKER - Order, please. Ms ARCHER - All residents in the Meander Valley area are welcome to attend the advertised community drop-in sessions - Ms White - Are you going to go? Madam SPEAKER - Leader of the Opposition, one.

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