Mr. Hugh Kane:

I will do my best to answer the questions. Senator Black asked about our membership. We tried to pick people for their expertise and thought processes in terms of strategic planning, and for their ability to link that kind of thought with implementation. We sought personal qualities. Some of the people with these personal qualities also have clinical expertise and other insights. Dr. Philip Dodd and Dr. Amanda Burke are our consultant psychiatrists and Dr. Fiona Keogh is a research psychologist. One can see that element in terms of service users. We have people who have the expertise. That is what we tried to bring to the table rather than have a whole group of professional people. We will involve other levels. At that particular level we sought people with the competencies to oversee and drive this work.

Addiction is part of all of the mental health services all of the time. There has been a long discussion on whether addiction is part of the mental health service area or is a stand-alone unit and where it interacts. We have no specific reference to alcohol in our terms of reference but we will discuss the point raised by the Senator. Addiction is there, it is living and it is a big thing right in the middle of the service. We must decide where it belongs and have greater integration.

Senator Murnane O'Connor asked about campaigns. There have been a number of campaigns such as Let's Talk, which calls on people to reduce the stigma, raises awareness and encourages people to discuss their difficulties. All of us try to live that in our daily lives even coming here today, and that is why I mentioned that this matter is really personal to me. That is me saying, as a dad, that we have a problem. It is important to start the conversation and have campaigns, which is a really good way to do so. The #LittleThings campaign highlights the things one must pay attention to in one's life. Both campaigns were accompanied by publicity campaigns. They emphasise that we all have problems every single day of our lives and provide people with advice on how to manage them. Providing advice and information has been the focus of those particular campaigns.

There is a lot of things going on with the recruitment of staff. Some people say it is money and others say it is something else. Evidence suggests that what really engages people in their work is whether they have a passion for it and are interested in what they do. In terms of the work we are trying to do, the more we empower people who are on the front line to do what they need to, then that is as much an attraction as salary for people. What I have said is a little bit linked with what Senator McFadden said. I wrote the piece because I thought it would prove useful. I did not want to say nothing had happened because sometimes it can have an impact on people who are doing stuff and trying to do things better.