SA Labor makes ‘historic’ $182m mental health promise

Labor has promised to spend $182m establishing dozens of new mental health beds in the party’s latest pledge to fix ramping.

Almost 100 extra mental health beds would be established across South Australia under a new $182m Labor election promise that has been touted as the most significant investment of its kind in more than a decade.

Launching his party’s campaign at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, Labor leader Peter Malinauskas promised to establish 300 extra public hospital beds across SA, aimed at slashing the crippling pressure on the state’s emergency departments.

At the centre of the plan is a pledge to open 98 new mental health beds, including 24 each at the Queen Elizabeth, Modbury and Noarlunga hospitals.

Six new mental health beds would also be opened at Mount Gambier Hospital, doubling its existing ward.

Labor would also fund the in-home treatment of 20 additional mental health patients.

Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas announced a new $182m mental health election pledge to help fix the state’s ramping crisis. Picture: Morgan Sette

Mr Malinauskas said it would be the “biggest investment in mental health in more than a decade”.

“(Ramping) is a cruel and inhumane experience for the patients – who are often elderly and many with mental health issues – and deeply frustrating and upsetting for the hamstrung paramedics,” he said.

Mr Malinauskas did not reveal which hospitals would receive more than 200 extra non-mental health beds as part of their plan, promising to reveal those details “in the coming days and weeks”.

Premier Steven Marshall branded Labor’s election pledge to spend $62m on recruiting 100 doctors over the next four years a “clanger”.

Premier Steven Marshall lashed Labor’s plan to hire 100 new doctors as a “clanger”. Picture: Supplied

“If he took a look at the budget documents over the last four years, this would be a massive handbrake,” Mr Marshall said.

“We’ve put on more than 100 doctors every year since we’ve been elected.”

Mr Malinauskas said their latest health spending promises would be made possible by scrapping Mr Marshall’s plans to build a $662m inner-city arena on the banks for the River Torrens, which the Labor Party has routinely labelled a “basketball stadium”.

While his opponent booked out a grand function room at Adelaide Oval for his campaign launch, Mr Marshall instead targeted five key marginal seats in a hyper-local community blitz ahead of the March 19 poll.

Mr Marshall announced no new election policies on Sunday, instead going on the offensive by attacking Mr Malinauskas and painting him as a “risk” to South Australia.

“We’ve had incredible momentum over the last three years and 11 months and now is not the time to be taking a risk with Peter Malinauskas and the Labor Party,” said Mr Marshall, who blitzed the seats of Elder, Adelaide, King, Wright and Badcoe.

The Premier also compared his opponent to former SA politician Nick Xenophon, who gained popularity through quirky and novelty campaign stunts.

“We’ve had Pete out jogging, Pete out swimming, we’ve had novelty cheques, blank cheques, he’s looking more and more like Nick Xenophon every day.” Mr Marshall said.