Men's Health

Extract from Hansard

Legislative Council
4 April 2001

Sandra Kanck
Deputy Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

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The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: I seek leave to make an explanation before asking the Minister for Transport and Urban Planning, representing the Minister for Human Services, questions regarding funding of the Men's Information and Support Centre.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: This week is Men's Awareness Week, which is designed to raise awareness of issues affecting men with regard to their physical, mental and social health. It is not generally acknowledged that men have poorer health outcomes than women. This has been attributed to men themselves being notoriously bad at attending to their needs due to a perception that it is wimpy or soft to seek help. It has also been documented that men tend not to address emotional and social problems until it is too late.

This is often reflected in domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse and the onset of mental illness. In 1984, the Men's Contact and Resource Centre began, with the aim of providing men `with some direction and support in a rapidly and profoundly changing world,' and is arguably the longest-running men's support organisation in Australia.

It operates on a shoestring budget and on the commitment of volunteers, many of whom have themselves suffered some personal life crisis. It is now called the Men's Information and Support Centre, and it offers a counselling service for men in need.

The Hon. SANDRA KANCK: It most certainly does. It receives up to 60 calls a day and conducts workshops on building better relationships, on anger management, on sexual abuse and on health care, to name a few. It is a safety net for the men who fall through the cracks in the system, especially the mental health system. The service is one of a kind in South Australia, yet it receives minimal funding from the government.

The government has stated that no new funding will be forthcoming until the men's health policy has been completed. Unfortunately, this could mean the end of a valuable service. The service has enough money for the rent, phones and administration costs until July, after which time the doors will have to close if there is no extra funding. This will further burden other counselling services.

The 1997 policy of the Liberal Party, called Rebuilding South Australia: A Focus on Family and Community Services , promoted the creation of a men's information service. Four years later we have a service struggling to keep up with demand, with little support from a government that advocated such a service. My questions to the minister are:

2. What funding arrangement is the minister considering for the Men's Information and Support Centre?

3. Considering the valuable contribution the service makes, will the minister guarantee government support and funding for the service's future?

4. Given the budget and staff restrictions of the service, will the minister provide support and advice to help develop the service's application for commonwealth funding so as to comply with funding requirements?

5. Does the Minister acknowledge the Men's Information and Support Centre's cost effectiveness and invaluable role as an information and counselling service to the men of South Australia?

The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW (Minister for Transport and Urban Planning): I will refer the honourable member's question to the minister and bring back a reply, but I would add a history to this matter. I recall that it was through the Women's Council of the Liberal Party that the issue was first advanced, and certainly the council was the champion of the measure. It was then put through the State Council of the Liberal Party and adopted in policy.

I have met with the volunteers in the past and have encouraged their success in gaining more accommodation. They have also been in contact with the Women's Information Service, based in Railway Arcade in Roma Mitchell House. That service, which has been funded for some 30 years, is enjoying a new lease on life with the shopfront of North Terrace opposite the Railway Station. It is an outstanding model and one that the men's information service would seek to adopt.

However, it did take the women 30 years to get there! I am not necessarily recommending such a long course for the men. We know that the model works in terms of women, and I would encourage the men to keep working within the resources they have to provide the service. As most volunteer services would know, you cannot always meet all expectations, especially when there is a lot of demand in the community. It does not mean that you give up when times are difficult.

I do not know what funds are available within the health budget, but I do know that most of the calls are to support the hospital services. I also expect that if we keep people out of hospitals, such as by this counselling method, we can ultimately limit the demands on the more professional health services and hospitals. So, there is an enormous benefit in the work undertaken by the men's information service, and I will pass on the honourable member's question to the minister and seek to obtain a prompt reply

The Hon. DIANA LAIDLAW: The Minister for Human Services has provided the following information:

The completed policy and planning framework for men's health is expected to be in place by the end of June 2001. The State Budget has allocated $100 000 in support of the policy to invest in prevention, early detection and intervention strategies, and to ensure the provision of accessible, accurate and up-to-date information on men's health issues.

The Men's Information and Support Centre (MISC) has received funding of $14 750 in various amounts since November 1999 through the Minister for Human Services' Special Grants, together with funding of $15 000 in 1999-2000 and $26 800 in 2000-2001 from Community Benefit SA. MISC also receive ongoing funding of $4 500 per annum, confirmed to 2003, under the Family and Community Development Program.

The commonwealth government has officers that can assist agencies with commonwealth funding applications. The state office of the Family Relationships Services Program of the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services would be able to assist in this instance and to determine eligibility for funding under national guidelines. (Contact: Mr Paul Ford).

Since 1984, the Men's Contact and Resource Centre, known since 1999 as the Men's Information and Support Centre, has played a valuable role in providing both men and women with information and referral to other services.