Source: Office of Mary Wooldridge MP, Victorian Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Shadow Minister for Drug Abuse, Shadow Minister for Ageing, Shadow Minister for Community Services

Sunday 9 December 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

NEVILLE GETS AN F ON REPORT CARD

Minister Neville’s first year in the Ministry has been marked by service breakdowns, inaction and a total lack of accountability and leadership, said Mary Wooldridge, Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Drug Abuse, Community Services and Ageing.

“Minister Neville has responsibility for policy and services for senior Victorians and those living with a mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction or disability – essentially vulnerable Victorians who need critical and urgent care,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“However, in her first year we have seen a lack of action See attached factsheet “Inaction on major issues”, a marked decline in standards of care See attached “Report Cards” for details of service failures and no accountability or leadership.

No accountability or leadership :

“I am very concerned that while Minister Neville presides over a series of major service and care failures, she is unwilling to answer questions about them,” said Ms Wooldridge.

“The Minister is late in answering a staggering 82 questions on notice in the Legislative Council.

“In total, she accounts for 30 per cent of all overdue questions, more than double any other minister.

“On top of this, three Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to the Minister are also well overdue having been lodged with the department in mid-July, more than four months ago.

“When Mr Brumby became Premier he said the government was committed to keeping pace with people’s expectations of accountability. Obviously Minister Neville didn’t get the memo.

“The Minister has also failed to represent and argue the case for vulnerable Victorians in the parliament.

“Minister Neville has introduced no new legislation and has done few speeches on her portfolio areas.

“Amazingly the Minister mentioned alcohol in parliament for the first and only time on Thursday. This is a major part of her portfolio responsibilities, and is – according to the Premier – Victoria’s major social issue,” Ms Wooldridge said.

The Minister has consistently failed to respond to matters raised with her in adjournment debates. Members of opposition parties have raised 17 adjournment questions with her. However only three have been answered in the parliament.

Assessment :

“For her first year in the job Minister Neville gets an F. The Minister is unaccountable and failing to champion her portfolio constituency.

“Vulnerable Victorians deserve better than this Minister and this government,” said Ms Wooldridge.

Inaction on major issues

Rather than act decisively, Minister Neville has set up four committees or reviews to do her work for her:
· The Victorian Alcohol Action Plan Taskforce is developing an alcohol plan
· The Amphetamines Type Stimulants Taskforce is putting together an amphetamines strategy
· DHS is developing a mental health plan
· A public review of Supported Residential Services will be held

Minister Neville’s 2007 Report Card
Mental Health:
· State government discretionary per-capita funding for mental health has fallen from first place under the Kennett Government to fourth place among the states and territories
· Mental health nurses in the Eastern region, Geelong and Ballarat went on strike due to under-funding and bed shortages
· Only 27 per cent of Labor’s mental health election pledge was funded in the budget
· Overall funding increase less than half the percentage increase in acute health services
· Real funding to the non-government sector was cut by 0.65 per cent
· 33 per cent of mental health patients waited more than eight hours in an emergency department before being admitted
· A damning government report revealed Crisis Assessment and Treatment (CAT) teams have been significantly compromised due to under-funding
· 46 per cent of inpatient beds are blocked due to lack of long-term accommodation options
· Restriction of admission of some young people to Austin Hospital’s adolescent psychiatric ward due to inappropriate facilities
· Closure of six eating disorder beds at Children’s Hospital due to funding limitations
· Criticised by Community Visitors for ongoing failures to provide mental health beds and appropriate staffing
Drugs and Alcohol:
· The alcohol and drugs budget was cut by 3.5 per cent
· A Victorian Alcohol Action Plan Labor promised in 2002 and re-promised multiple times since then has still not been delivered
· Due to a four-year wait for alcohol abuse services people die while on the waiting list
· The February promise of up to $14 million for ICE treatment and campaigns has only delivered $230,000
· Funding for seven residential rehabilitation beds at Odyssey House was withdrawn in June
· The government’s key advisory body, the Premier’s Drug Prevention Council, was abolished and not replaced
· The Northern Arrest Referral and Treatment Team, for drug-related offenders, received no funding despite recently winning numerous state government awards
· Labor failed to provide services for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and alcohol-related brain damage
Disability:
· Labor rejected a 50/50 funding offer from the Commonwealth
· The waiting time for supported accommodation is more than four years
· The Public Advocate found an increasing number of young people with disabilities are being dumped in private low-care aged facilities as there are no other options
· The Victorian Council of Social Services has argued we now need an extra 650 supported accommodation places due to Labor’s under-funding
· A former DHS worker was sentenced to jail for torturing a disabled man in his care
· A disabled man drowned in the Yarra while in the care of two DHS staff

Senior Victorians:
· The government refused to support a state-owned nursing home in Heywood which needs additional beds
· An Elder Abuse Prevention Project promised more than two years ago is yet to be delivered
· A major report found that aged patients were discharged from the public health system malnourished, with ulcers, skin tears, bed sores and serious infections
· Failure to address crisis in supported residential services