A Liberal Mandurah City councillor has launched an attack on his own party’s youth mental health policy, with a Facebook post challenging the state’s funding priorities and calling on the Mental Health Commission to be sacked and investigated.
Dave Schumacher, who missed out on preselection for the safe Liberal party seat of Dawesville, said the Barnett Government’s increase in funding to tackle the road toll was “absolute bulls**t” as more people die from suicide every year than in motor vehicle accidents.
Mr Schumacher also accused the Mental Health Commission of cutting funding to non-profit organisations delivering mental health services.
“This is absolute bulls**t and shows the government’s total disregard for the people, and that their priorities are so totally different to ours,” he wrote.
“Far more people die from suicide than traffic accidents.
“The Mental Health Commission should be sacked, and an investigation launched into where all past and current funding has or is going.”
This amount, which is not the responsibility of the Mental Health Commission, included $64.9 million in the regions for overtaking lanes, wire rope barriers, audible line edging and road widening.
Mental Health Commissioner Tim Marney defended the Mental Health Commission’s budget priorities.
“Of the Mental Health Commission’s $866 million budget in 2016/17, $835 million or 96.5 per cent has been allocated to purchase mental health, and alcohol and drug programs and services state-wide,” he said.
“The Mental Health Commission has been allocated $31 million, or 3.5 per cent of the overall budget to provide its administrative procurement role.”