Rau Case Tip Of The Iceberg

The MHWA called for a fair go for people living with mental illness when it this week joined a rally demanding a full and trasparent inquiry into the Cornelia Rau incident.

Matthew Talbot Nurse Unit Manager and MHWA spokesperson Toby Raeburn addressed the rally on behalf of the Alliance. His speech follows:

Good Afternoon,

My name is Toby Raeburn, I am the Nurse Manager at Matthew Talbot Hostel in Sydney where I spend most of my time caring for people who have a mental illness and are homeless. I am here today in my capacity as a member of the Mental Health Worker's Alliance.

I have got to say that for the MHWA the sad story of Cornelia Rau that has been broadcast by the nations media lately comes as no surprise. The MHWA would like to highlight that this case is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the way that a whole generation of people with mental illness are being let down. Let down by systems and governments in a society that is supposed to believe in giving people "A Fair Go".

The Mental Health Workers Alliance is an Alliance between the "big five" unions within NSW that have members involved in the care of people with mental illness. Included in the Alliance is the Health Services Union, Australian Services Union the Nurses Association the Police Federation and ASMOF.

This alliance was birthed last year out of a common struggle. A struggle that is faced daily by those of us involved in caring for people with mental illness. The struggle for decent funding; the struggle for decent services; the struggle for "A fair Go" for people with mental illness.

The Mental Health Workers Alliance would like to take this opportunity to lend it's full support to this rally's call for an open enquiry into the Cornelia Rau debacle. The MHWA would like to state that the Cornelia Rau case only serves to highlight the poor treatment and lack of transparency related to the care of people with mental illness inside Australian Immigration Centers.

It's sad to say but in many ways Cornelia may be one of the lucky ones. One wonders what is happening to people within our immigration centers who are mentally ill and have no relatives in Australia? who cannot speak any English? or for those who are children?

For years now workers within the healthcare system of NSW have been lobbying government for "A Fair Go" for people with mental illness with little effect. I myself have been involved in the care of people with mental illness who have been mistreated in our jails, who have to endure life on the cold streets of Sydney and saddest of all, have even ended their own lives for want of decent services.

The story is little different in our major hospitals and so-called "leading treatment centers." Chronic under funding and understaffing has been allowed to go on unchecked by government. From the past year alone I can relate stories of people with mental illness sleeping on the floors of our hospitals or being locked in small seclusion rooms little in worse conditions than a jail cell for days at a time.

All of these examples only serve to further highlight the importance for Cornelia's case to be taken seriously by Government. On behalf of the Mental Health Workers Alliance of NSW we say to Ms Vandstone, we say to Mr Howard, conduct a full open and transparent enquiry into the case of Cornelia Rau. This is a chance to begin reform of the way we treat people with mental illness. It's the Australian governments chance to start giving people with mental illness, "A Fair Go!"

The rally, organised by the Refugee Action Coalition, was held outside the Department of Immigration office in Sydney on Thursday 10 February.

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