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Labour’s Invercargill MP Liz Craig needs to reflect on who she’s representing in Parliament as she blocks a briefing into Government mental health funding, in her role as chair of the Health Select Committee, Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds says.
“As Health Select Committee chair this was Dr Craig’s chance to act in good conscience and allow some light to be shed on mental health issues in this country.
“Instead she toed the party line, bowed to pressure from senior Labour ministers to shut the debate down, and effectively denied people, like those whom she represents in Southland, the right to democracy.
“Considering her health background, and her role as a local MP representing the people of the South, it seems perverse that she would want to block an inquiry into the Government’s performance around mental health, instead of doing the right thing.
“ACT, the Greens and the Maori Party all supported National’s Mental Health spokesperson Matt Doocey’s request to the select committee yesterday for a briefing from the Ministry of Health into their response to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission’s monitoring report.
“This report was damning of Labour’s performance on mental health, and people up and down the country including in Invercargill have been asking for details on where the Government went wrong and what happened to the millions of dollars in funding.
“So much for Labour’s open and transparent governance – and how disappointing that Dr Craig was prepared to allow this to happen.”
A response to from Dr Liz Craig is below.
“I welcome the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission’s report “Te Huringa: Change and Transformation – Mental Health Service and Addiction Service Monitoring Report 2022”.
The report provides an independent and detailed overview of our mental health and addiction services and sits alongside the Commission’s recently released report on the Access and Choice Programme.
Taken together, these two reports chart the progress that’s been made, particularly in access to mental health services in the primary care setting, as well as to tele-health services. However they also suggest there’s further work to be done, particularly in access to hospital and specialist services.
The two reports provide a comprehensive overview of the current situation for our mental health services in New Zealand and the Government will need to take time to consider their recommendations. Labour members of the Health Committee felt the upcoming Estimates Hearing with the Minister of Health, which usually takes place in June, as well as future Annual Review Hearings with the Ministry of Health, would be the best place to discuss these issues.
Note: My consideration of the request for a briefing was made as a member of the Health Committee, not in my capacity as Chair, as Chairs don’t have any additional voting rights in this respect. “