For immediate release
Peter Dunne, No Loss to Health (SST)
(20th June 2013)
Peter Dunne’s hit out at the Electoral Commission after it refused to budge on its requirements for his party's
re-registration, describing it as "petty bureaucracy'," "a rogue elephant" and "living in the days of quill pens and
parchment” is like the pot calling the kettle black a spokesman for the Sensible Sentencing Trust has said.
“One of Mr Dunne’s responsibilities as Associate Minister of Health was mental health” says Trust spokesman on mental
health issues, Graeme Moyle, “a responsibility he abrogated and showed little interest in. Mental health
responsibilities in Parliament needed to be led by a minister with passion, someone who cares about the issues and has
the determination and drive to make the necessary changes and bring mental health into the 21st century; Mr Dunne had
neither”.
“In a desperate effort to make up for his lethargic approach to suicide prevention in this country, Mr Dunne has
recently thrown eight million dollars at the issue, yet refuses to speak to privately funded organisations that are
leading the way in this field. It is rich coming from him to accuse the Electoral Committee of petty bureaucracy when he
continually responded to requests to amend mental health legislation with one paragraph, bureaucratic nonsense.”
“This is consistent with my attempts to discuss various issues with Mr Dunne relating to criminal offending by those
labouring under mental illness”, Mr Moyle says, “The Minister states that it is important to regularly review approaches
to suicide prevention and take into account new research and evidence, along with changes in society, yet when it
pertains to offending by the mentally ill, he relies on studies carried out in the 1990s, and he has the nerve to accuse
the Electoral Committee of living in the days of quill pens and parchment".
“Mr Dunne has stated that access to treatment should happen in a timely manner and include access to all health
facilities and services across New Zealand, yet families of people suffering from serious mental illnesses cannot access
medium to long term inpatient care for their loved ones because there are not enough beds”.
“The Minister had also made an assurance that every community should have good after-hours services separate from
Emergency Departments in hospitals, however, this clearly does not apply to the mentally ill”.
“He has also said there needs to be an increase of funding of drug, alcohol and mental health treatment for prison
inmates”, Mr Moyle said, “yet he would not legislate to allow compulsory treatment of those inmates within our prisons
that require to be medicated to remain stable”.
“The former Minister had no interest in looking into revelations that convicted murderers, who had become mentally
unwell, were being released from prison early due to a loop hole in legislation, again delegating his responsibilities
to clinicians, and showed no interest in proposed changes to the insanity defence even though the Law Commission
described the current situation as problematic”.
“In the wake of Mr Dunne’s recent indiscretions he has described himself as unwise and stupid”, said Moyle, “I’d like to
add ineffectual and naive. Let us hope Todd McClay has an affinity and passion for this role and is willing to discuss
the considerable issues involved within this challenging portfolio”.
ENDS