State Election 2018: Weatherill Government pledges $22.7m for mental health services, if re-elected on March 17
MENTAL health services will receive a $22.7m funding boost under a Labor election promise.
SA 2018
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MENTAL health services will receive a $22.7 million funding boost under a Labor election promise.
The package, announced prior to the SA Council of Social Services Leaders’ debate, includes a $17.2 million injection to community outreach.
It also provides a further $5.5 million to suicide prevention.
Premier Jay Weatherill spruiked a $70 million funding package, but the bulk of it contains already announced campaign promises.
Mr Weatherill said the new initiatives were designed to prevent South Australians with mental illness from reaching “crisis point”.
On Monday evening, Labor announced a $5.5 million suicide prevention package if it is re-elected Labor.
The initiative, which aims to reduce SA’s suicide rate, will include $2.2 million for suicide prevention networks and new programs targeting workers in industries including manufacturing and construction.
A further $1.7 million will go towards programs for people bereaved by suicide as well as suicide intervention and mitigation training.
The remaining $1.6 million will be directed into research as well as the creation of a suicide registry, which will track statistical information on suicide and international self-harm for public health purposes.
Health Minister Peter Malinauskas said every suicide was a “tragedy”.
“A re-elected Labor government will work with experts, the community and non-government organisations to provide support to people at risk of suicide and to those affected by the loss of a loved one,” he said.
“The reasons a person chooses to take their own life are varied and complex, and that’s why Labor has a South Australian Suicide Prevention Plan that looks holistically at what we can do to support people considering suicide, and care for them.”
If you or someone you know needs to talk about issues raised by this report, please call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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