Kedgley Sue: Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Kedgley Sue: Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:641;Page:11005] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party like other parties in the House is extremely pleased to support this Mental Health Commission Amendment Bill. I think it really is in a sense a testimony to the Mental Health Commission and to our confidence in and support for it that we are extending its term. The commission was originally set up in 1998 for 5 years and we are now extending that term until 2015. 
This is a brief bill and we did not hear many submissions on it but most of the submissions we heard were extremely positive about the Mental Health Commission. I think that in reviewing the performance of the commission—which the submissions involved—not many organisations could have come under the scrutiny that the Mental Health Commission had with such overwhelming support. The commission has performed an incredibly valuable role and that role is widely acknowledged. Not only does the commission monitor the implementation of the national mental health strategy but it has played a very key role as an advocacy voice that speaks out on behalf of people with mental illness. 
I think that the previous speaker was expressing concern and the concern of some submitters about the approach taken by the Mental Health Commission—namely the assumption it makes that people can recover from mental illness. I am incredibly glad that the Mental Health Commission takes that approach. I do not wish to be Pollyanna-ish about this but to thank God the commission does that because it would be very depressing if it took the other approach and assumed that people could not recover from mental illness. I think we need to reflect upon the not-so-recent treatment of people with mental illness and the assumption not so long ago that people could not recover from it. The consequence of that approach was that we locked people away—we kept them under lock and key. We had them tied up we administered electric shocks to them without anaesthetic and we generally treated them almost as though they were animals. We locked them away and we did not want to know about them. Any of us can read in Janet Frame’s compelling novels about the hideous treatment that was meted out to persons suffering from mental illness. 
So I thank God that we have changed radically our attitudes to people with mental illness. I echo the sentiment of others about the incredibly valuable work the Mental Health Commission has done in its campaigns to reduce the stigma of mental illness and I thank God when we look back now at how persons with mental illness were treated probably only a decade ago that we can really recognise how much society has improved and how much our attitudes have changed in that respect. 
We also need to recognise that the Government has poured a lot of money into mental health. The Opposition has said that we are not getting results from that because one in five New Zealanders still suffer from mental illness. That is a very daunting figure—one in five New Zealanders suffer from mental illness. 
Judy Turner 
: Over a lifetime. 
SUE KEDGLEY 
: One in five over a lifetime; nevertheless in my view that is still a very depressing or concerning figure. We need to think about what is causing such a relatively high degree of depression and mental illness in society but we also need to recognise that we will not be able to change that figure overnight. If people have grown up in families where they have been abused—in dysfunctional families or violent families—and they suffer mental illness as a result even with all the counselling and help in the world it may take them many years to recover. We need to acknowledge that and we should not expect that somehow just throwing a bit of money at the problem will be like waving a magic wand and solving the problem of mental illness. 
We also have to acknowledge the underlying issues particularly the hopelessness and helplessness that many people feel which are often exacerbated by poverty. Some of the parties in this House such as the National Party need to reflect upon the fact that poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness which in turn contribute to mental illness. There is a vicious cycle there. It is not just a matter of throwing more money at the blueprint; we really have to deal to the underlying causes of mental illness particularly poverty the growing gap between rich and poor dysfunctional families and violence in our society if we are to really try to reduce the very depressing figures about the number of us who have mental illness. 
Finally I also say that yes we have strengthened and slightly changed the role of the commission. I am particularly pleased that we have given the commission the power to be able to report at any point that it wishes on any issue relating to mental illness. That is the really valuable thing about independent commissioners like the mental health commissioners or the Children’s Commissioner. They can speak out they can raise their voices they can report to Parliament and they can raise issues with an independence that is rarely found in the Government for various reasons. 
The Green Party is very very supportive of the independent role of the commission. We see that as something of a role model and would like to see more independent commissioners because we think the Children’s Commissioner and the mental health commissioners—and in particular the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment—have played an incredibly valuable role especially in acting as advocates in their areas and in monitoring the implementation of strategies. We know that we have thousands of strategies but if we do not have somebody who independently monitors the implementation of those strategies they are worth little. 
In summary we strongly support the commission. We think the review that has taken place which has resulted in our extending the term of the commission until 2015 is a vote of confidence in the commission. The staff and the commissioners can all feel very proud of the commission’s work and of the fact that it has gained the overwhelming support of the community and this Parliament for its work. We look forward to its continuing successful work in changing attitudes and monitoring the implementation of the strategy until 2015. Thank you.