Full transcript - Final - Queensland Parliament - Queensland ...

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316 Questions Without Notice 9 Mar 1999 analysis, or some clinical comparison, between how the heroin trials would go, and their likely success, compared with trials of other drugs. As we know, buprenorphine and naltrexone are drugs designed to get people off heroin. They are designed to break the heroin cycle. So their purpose is totally different from the heroin trials, which I have indicated that I do not support and the Government does not support. My view was that if the Victorian Government and the ACT Government want to go ahead with heroin trials, that is entirely a matter for them. However, having said that, if they are going to go ahead with them, then in a clinical sense and at the same time we need to do trials of buprenorphine and naltrexone. I had a discussion with Professor David Pennington when I was in Melbourne in relation to how buprenorphine and naltrexone could be trialled in conjunction with each other to get people off heroin and to break the heroin cycle. So what we are seeking to do, in a nutshell, is to have parallel trials at the same time but obviously in different States. In Queensland we would be trialling buprenorphine in conjunction with naltrexone, but we would be using the same number of people who were being used in, say, Victoria or the ACT, and the same number of support services would be available. Often, it is not just the drug, it is the number of support services that go with the drug that can get people off heroin to begin with. There needs to be a determination in these clinical trials as to whether it is the drug—whether it be buprenorphine or naltrexone—that is getting people off heroin, or the support services that go with it that are helping people to get off heroin. So all these tests need to be done. As I said, this argument has raged for some time about whether we go down the road of heroin trials or whether we go down the road of buprenorphine and naltrexone. We need to have a clinical test to determine which is the best way to go. In a nutshell, that is what we are seeking to do. One of the other things that came out of the meeting on Friday—and I have tabled the full details for the House—was a national approach to assessing the causes of social breakdown resulting in drug use, suicide and depression. I mention that because we really have to get to the causes of drug abuse, as well. One of the biggest problems confronting Australia at the moment is depression. As we all know, about one in five people suffer from some form of mental disease during their life. Depression is becoming a lot more prevalent in the community, and we need to find out why. Mental Health Services Mr BEANLAND: I refer the Minister for Health to the case last month of a Brisbane man who threatened to kill his wife and then attempted to take his own life. I also refer to the fact that doctors could not place this particular patient into a mental health bed in Brisbane for more than a week, and I ask: given the danger that this man was to himself, other patients and staff, does the Minister believe that it was acceptable that there was no mental health bed available in Brisbane? And secondly: is it not true that the lack of mental health beds highlights her gross mismanagement of the State's public hospitals, which has resulted in budget blowouts and cuts to patient services? Mrs EDMOND: I do not discuss individual patient histories if I can help it. However, I can say that this Government has done more for mental health services in the past six months, and before the change of Government in 1996, than the coalition opposite. Some of us actually remember Ward 10B. Some of us actually remember what conditions were like for mental health patients in Ward 10B and other institutions around this State. Some of us remember the Burdekin report and the recommendations that came out of it. That is why, in our pre-election commitments and in our Budget last year, we committed the biggest increase to mental health funding that this State has ever seen: $29m worth of extra services. Mr Speaker, you were one of the people who approached me about the desperate lack of mental health services in Redcliffe. As you know, we are addressing that. But that $29m is being used. We advertised across Queensland, across Australia and internationally for an extra 200 mental health staff to work in the community, in the hospitals, etc. That is something that was desperately needed. Miss Simpson: There are no beds in Brisbane. Mrs EDMOND: Members opposite say, "No beds". Nothing has changed in the beds situation since they were in Government. We have opened new mental health beds, yes. In fact, I actually have information on that. The fact is that there have been only a very, very small number of occasions when beds have not been made available. Four emergency mental health beds are kept for emergencies,
9 Mar 1999 Questions Without Notice 317 if they are needed. According to the mental health services, only about twice in the last six months have those beds actually been needed to be used. We have seen a huge increase—and there will be a continuing huge increase—in community mental health services, because most people are better off in their communities, in their homes, with the services. But instead of going around trying to whip up fear and loathing of mental health patients, members opposite should be recognising the fact that something like one in five people will suffer from a mental illness during their lifetimes. Most of those people are better off being treated at home with the support that they need, and that is what we are providing. There is no indication of a shortage of mental health beds in south-east Queensland. We are providing more than there ever have been. Official Party Status for One Nation Mr WILSON: I refer the Premier to a report in today's edition of the Australian newspaper in which it is claimed that former One Nation members considered an alliance with their former colleagues to qualify for official party status and, therefore, get extra taxpayer funded resources, and I ask: will the Premier inform the House whether he was aware of this reported conspiracy? Mr BEATTIE: I was not aware of the document that has been reported very widely in today's Australian newspaper under the heading "Rebels reject a return to the fold", which says— "Former One Nation Queensland MPs considered forming an alliance with their old colleagues, 'with just enough agreed common ground' to qualify for party status and to claim extra taxpayerfunded resources, according to a confidential briefing document obtained by The Australian." It goes on— "The document, prepared by an adviser to former One Nation deputy leader Dorothy Pratt, was used to brief the five new Independents late last week as they prepared to lobby Premier Peter Beattie for funding." According to the article, the document was prepared by Ms Pratt's adviser, Bruce Bell, and marked "strictly confidential". It says some of these things— "Option Three We have (hopefully all) five 'new independents' join with Bill Feldman's crew on a limited, strictly agreed basis. Get this very clear"— and I am quoting— "Limited, strictly agreed. Just enough agreed common ground to qualify for 'Party' status and the more than forty thousand dollars in extra funding, to be used to fight what those who elected you wanted you to fight—the unrepresentative swill who are the old established parties." I have to say that I am appalled by this document. I am appalled by the suggestion that people would get together to conspire to obtain public funds in this way. Talking about entitlements, another part of the overview says this— "The manual is a big fat book full of goodies and blank cheques with which to procure them. You can have whatever you want"—— Mrs Pratt: I rise to a point of order. I find that whole document totally offensive and ask that the Premier withdraw it. Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. Mr BEATTIE: I totally agree with the honourable member. I find it absolutely offensive. I have referred to an article which appeared in the Australian, which I table in the House for the benefit of those who have not read it. These are not my words; they are the words reported in the Australian from a report prepared, supposedly, for the honourable member. This afternoon I am meeting Mr Bill Feldman, the leader of One Nation, about these issues. My ancestors came from Scotland in 1884 and I have a very strong tradition of Scottishness in me. Let me tell this House that there will be not one cent of taxpayers' money wasted on any attempt to get money from the taxpayer under what I believe are false pretences. It will not happen because taxpayers' money should be used to look after people and provide services. I believe those Independents should be explaining to the people of Queensland exactly what this document was designed to achieve and why they were putting it in this way. Royal Women's Hospital Mrs GAMIN: In directing my question to the Minister for Health, I refer her to the case
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