Health Minister Yvette D’Ath announces parliamentary inquiry into Queensland’s mental health services

Queensland’s mental health sector is concerned a parliamentary inquiry into the “broken” system falls short of what is needed.

HEALTH Minister Yvette D’Ath has announced a ­parliamentary inquiry into mental health services in Queensland, but it falls short of what the sector has called for to fix the broken system.

Following two days of The Courier-Mail’s Through the Cracks campaign and a day after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her deputy Steven Miles ducked calls for a review at press conferences, Ms D’Ath announced the inquiry.

While the announcement was cautiously welcomed by experts, they were awaiting the terms of reference still to be released this week.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Dan Peled

“The Palaszczuk government knows we need to shine a light on mental health and better understand the need and demand pressures arising from Covid, but also more generally across the mental health system in Queensland,” Ms D’Ath told parliament after horror stories highlighted by the ­campaign, including that people were waiting up to 18 months for appointments. “That is why the Palaszczuk government will be establishing a parliamentary inquiry into mental health services in Queensland,” she said.

“We are confident that our parliament can play an important role in shaping the future of our mental health services in Queensland.”

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Queensland chair Professor Brett Emmerson noted the announcement, but said: “It’s not what we were calling for, but the terms of reference will be the all-important factor here.”

Professor Brett Emmerson.

Professor Emmerson and others, including Queensland’s Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic, had called for a longer-term systemic review to be undertaken by Mr Frkovic that would take a specialist look at the system to determine where the gaps are and how to fill them.

Mr Frkovic welcomed the parliamentary inquiry and said he too looked forward to seeing the detail of the terms of reference and time frame.

But AMA Queensland president Professor Chris Perry said the review did not mean that extra funding should not flow immediately.

“AMA Queensland has long been calling for a review of mental health services,” Professor Perry said.

The Courier-Mail has called for a systemic review, immediate funding to bring Queensland into line with the spending of other states, and for a stand-alone mental health minister to bring a focus to the problems.