Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Grey for bringing forward this important motion. Although none of the suicide prevention trials that we're discussing here today are in my own electorate of Fisher, we do have one in the northern part of the Sunshine Coast. For that, I thank the government and congratulate the member for Wide Bay for his hard-fought advocacy on this important issue for regional Australia. This trial is another part of the Sunshine Coast's increasingly pivotal and cutting-edge role in combating the terrible impact of suicide in this country.

The Minister for Health visited Fisher earlier this month to see the facilities and meet the people who are carving out that role. The main purpose of his visit was to officially open the Thompson Institute. The Thompson Institute is already well on the way to being one of the nation's leading research facilities for understanding and treating a range of mental health disorders. I was proud to be able to make a contribution to that work with the support of the minister when we delivered $5 million in the 2017 budget to fund projects at the institute on youth mental health and suicide prevention. We showed the minister the cutting-edge MRI scanner which the institute has installed and which allows director Dr Jim Lagopoulos and his team to understand the physical changes in the brain which lie at the foundation of many mental health disorders. Through these physical examinations, supported by the federal government's $5 million, and with the clinical experience of dealing with patients at a rate of more than 6,000 people each year, the Thompson Institute will, in the coming years, make contributions to our understanding of suicide prevention.

The minister also met with Mark Forbes and his EndED organisation—'EndED' meaning end eating disorders—to discuss their pioneering work in bringing Australia's first specialist residential facility for the treatment of eating disorders to the Sunshine Coast. I have no doubt that Mark's passionate and energetic pursuit of his vision will soon see our community at the forefront of another central part of the effort to combat suicide in Australia. Anorexia nervosa is the world's deadliest mental health condition. Having anorexia as a female aged between 15 to 24 increases their mortality rate 12 times over their peers. Eating disorders are more likely than any other mental disorder to lead sufferers to take their own lives, whether by intentional suicide or from the medical complications of dieting. EndED House will doubtless make an important difference to rescuing many from this tragic end. I hope that, with this minister's support, we as a government will soon be able to do something to help Mark to take this facility from a dream to a reality.

This government, led by the outstanding work of the health minister, has an unmatched focus on mental health and is already making an unprecedented investment in research and treatment, of which our regional suicide prevention trials are only just one part. The government should certainly be congratulated for this focus. However, I believe there is always more that we can do, and I will continue to work with the minister on some of the most important mental health issues in regions like the Sunshine Coast.

The tyranny of distance and physical isolation makes many people living in rural and regional Australia vulnerable to the impacts of cyberbullying. I believe that we need to do more to fight online abuse, and I'm working closely with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Communications, the member for Forrest, and the Attorney-General to pursue the legislative changes I think we need.

On the coast, we also have a great many former service men and women and members both past and present of the emergency services. For these courageous Australians, the debilitating impact of post-traumatic stress disorder can substantially increase their likelihood of suicide. I believe that the PTSD program at the Thompson Institute could make an important difference to better treatment for this condition in the future and to reduce its fatal toll. I'll continue to work with the relevant ministers to secure the funding that the institute needs to pursue this work.

The tragic reality is that, during our sitting week—just this sitting week—56 Australians will take their own lives; 1,680 will attempt to take their own lives and, for every person who is successful, 30 are not. The government should be commended for responding to this urgent issue, with unprecedented action and investment. I support the motion.

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