Members of the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) and members of other public sector unions today rallied against State Government cuts to mental health services.
HACSU Assistant State Secretary, Tim Jacobson said “These workers are at the front of service delivery and are the ones who have to continually turn Tasmanians away and put them onto a waiting list.”
“Mental health services across the state are stretched to the limit and it appears that instead of trying to save money in other ways, the State Government are instead going to cut allied health professionals and nurses and other positions from the outset.”
“These cuts will mean services which are already stretched will now be in crisis and unfortunately will almost certainly lead to loss of Tasmanian people’s lives simply because they will not be able to access services when they need them”
“This year the Federal Government provided a boost of $1.5B in funding across Australia for Mental Health Services. This is clearly a case of ‘giving with one hand and taking with the other.” Tim Jacobson said.
Members of HACSU working in Mental Health Services across Tasmania have been surveyed to find out the effect the budget cuts will have on their services.
“94% said that the cuts will have a damaging effect on service delivery to clients. 83% of workers surveyed felt that they have not been consulted regarding the implementation of the cuts. 69% said they were concerned about cost cutting proposals detracting from staff and client safety.”
“This Government has a moral obligation to Tasmanians suffering from mental illness and for the Government to cut these services for some of the most vulnerable Tasmanians is beyond belief.”
“For the Minister for Health to claim they are putting patient care at the centre of all they do at the same time as cutting services is simply dishonest. It is clearly money, not patients that is driving decision making.”
Cassy O’Connor:
The Tasmanian Greens today acknowledged the challenges ahead to ensure the State’s Mental Health Care Services remain effective despite the Health Department having to find its share of identified Budget savings.
Greens Member for Denison Cassy O’Connor MP, who attended the Hobart World Mental Health rally on behalf of Health spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP, said that a greater emphasis on preventative health care and early intervention are vital in being able to shift the state’s embattled health budget onto a sustainable footing.
Ms O’Connor also said that a Green Government’s Budget would have looked very different to the current State Budget, which was passed by the Parliament in June.
“The Greens have always been open to the option of temporary government debt as a mechanism to even out the highs and lows of the economic cycle to buffer the community, and the frontline services on which it depends, during such tough times,” Ms O’Connor said.
“World Mental Health day serves to remind us all of the importance of effective, accessible and, just as importantly, sustainable services. However, the reality of the State’s current financial position and savings requirements mean alternative mechanisms of providing support in both the immediate and long-term need to be found.”
“The Greens have consistently called for greater emphasis on preventative care and early intervention. This first step is good health policy, and also makes sound economic sense.”
“We also need to invest in breaking free of this debilitating boom-bust crisis driven cycle.”
“Tasmanians are now paying the price of successive majority governments squandering public funds in good times, which should have been used to insulate the community during economic downturns.”
“While this is not a Green government’s State Budget, which would have looked very different to the one which was voted through Parliament by all parties, once again it is taking a minority government to front up and make the hard decisions to get the State’s budget back on track and onto a sustainable footing.”
“The simple fact is the budget blow-outs cannot continue, yet since neither Labor nor Liberal parties’ positions allow for a temporary budget deficit to provide for a more flexible savings strategy, as has been the Greens’ consistent position, then the State Budget framework is the one we have to work within.”
“The Greens are adamant that the State must break from this boom-bust cycle, and any savings made now must be invested in the state’s finances onto a sustainable and robust footing for the long-term,” Ms O’Connor said.
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First published: 2011-10-10 02:34 PM
