Let’s face it. Everyone’s more interested in discussing leaks and polls than policy in this campaign. Why is this? In part, it’s because of the political theatre of the horse race and the personality contest, and in part because of the effects of the unprecedented deposition of a first term Prime Minister.
But there’s another reason. What’s on offer is bite sized policy, which at best only addresses a part of the problem. And that part is carefully selected on the basis of what electoral message it sends, not because it’s the highest priority in a time of fiscal stringency.
Take, for example, Labor’s announcements on mental health on Tuesday and disability today.
Funds for suicide prevention and supported accommodation and assistance to carers of children with disabilities are worthy. But they’re only a small part of the bigger picture. While advocates and experts in these policy areas always have a natural desire for more, it’s also the case that the ALP government once promised more.
We were to have a comprehensive national mental health strategy and a plan for national disability insurance was once touted as a centre piece of Labor’s second term agenda – a big social reform to rival Medicare.
The tragedy with the initiatives promised now is that they’re not even contextualised within a strategy for comprehensively addressing these serious issues of social care, and they’re not even the best way to get to such a strategy.
Elsewhere: Croakey on the mental health announcement.
Elsewhere: Mark at the ABC’s Drumroll.
Kim, I think the respondents on Croakey pretty much have covered the bases of legitmate complaint with the mental health policy spending announcements. I’d add that Labor’s piecmeal approach is down to plain old disinterest in people withmental illness. Really, just couldn’t give a shit and this is reflected in their announcement. What the mentally ill need above all is stability, secuirity and human contact (trained staff). It isn’t too hard to understand that or provide it at relatively low cost in terms of capital investment.
Elsewhere: Mark at the ABC’s Drumroll.
It’s not just the lack of a decent mental health policy. Jenny Macklin’s intention to take purchasing power away from welfare recipients across the country by extending the Northern Territory scheme to ‘undeserving postcodes’ will add to the stigma and lack of self-esteem that accompanies a diagnosis of mental illness.
Both major parties have the gall to talk up a fair go while continually undermining the most vulnerable in our community.
@3 – Yep. Worth noting that Macklin’s plans fly in the face of peer reviewed evaluations in the Medical Journal of Australia. So much for “evidence based policy”.
I dunno whether it’s offtopic for this thread, but I think we have reached the apex of bite size policy. Check the Liberals and their “crime prevention policy”.
No, this isn’t the teaser flyer. This is the whole policy.
Tony Abbott plans to do exactly the same thing to people on the dole. Half their payments will be quarantined for rent and food and bills. I’m not sure how you make half a dole payment stretch over all those things. Find somewhere incredibly cheap to stay and don’t have electricity, gas or phone I’m guessing.
Security patrols? By the police private guards or volunteer citizen details.
More broadly, mental health, or emergency care, are only parts of the health system.
Labor actually has a story to tell here about their health and hospitals strategy. But they’ve decided the marginal seat voters can’t grasp the big picture.
On the disability insurance scheme, it was referred to the Productivity Commission in April and they are due to report back in April next year from memory. Gillard has committed to implement this “if feasible”. I don’t hold out much hope of that, I expect returning the budget to surplus will take precedence. I very much hope I am proved wrong because it is absolutely urgent that the disability service sector is reformed. I have been waiting for over a year for behavioural support and have just been fobbed off again. Meanwhile I watch people who have the same condition as my younger son being sent to jail because noone can handle their behaviour appropriately.