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

Around eight Australians take their own lives each and every single day. For every one that does take their own life around 30 people attempt it. That's about 240 Australians every day. Those figures are really mind blowing when you think about it. In 2016 there were 2,866 recorded deaths by suicide. Suicide was the 15th leading cause of death in 2016.

The impact of poor mental health goes much, much broader for our communities. Nearly half of all Australians will experience mental illness in their lifetime and at least one in five experience some form of mental illness in any given year.

R U OK? Day is a national day of action dedicated to inspiring all people to ask each other, 'Are you okay?', and to encourage conversations with those around us who are struggling and need support. R U OK? Day is about saying to everybody: 'It's fine to say that you need some help. It's fine to talk about the challenges that you might be experiencing.' A conversation with someone who is struggling can sometimes be all that is needed to make a difference. R U OK? Day encourages a four-step conversation—ask, listen, encourage action and check in. R U OK? Day has been and continues to be a phenomenal success. Seventy-eight per cent of Australians are now aware of the R U OK? message, with 63 per cent believing that the campaign has made people more willing to ask friends about what's troubling them.

In a project that's close to my own heart, R U OK? Day has worked closely with MATES in Construction to raise awareness for mental health within the construction, mining and energy industries. More than 35,000 workers on 736 worksites took part in their Fly the Flag Day campaign to raise awareness of the 190 construction workers who die by suicide every year. We lose six times more workers to suicide than workplace accidents, and MATES in Construction are doing a fantastic job of trying to turn that statistic around.

The government's total expenditure for mental health is estimated at $4.3 billion in 2017-18, which is the highest on record. The Australian government has provided funding specifically for R U OK? Day since its inception in 2009. This September, the Minister for Health announced additional funding for R U OK? Day, and it will receive up to $749,000 on top of the $937,000 it's currently receiving. More broadly, the government funds the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program, which is providing $43.9 million from April 2017 to June 2019. Suicide prevention is one of the three projects funded by the federal government in my own electorate of Fisher, with $5 million provided to the Thompson Institute. We're also providing $48 million for the National Suicide Prevention Trial, which is running in 12 priority sites across Australia. This will improve our understanding of what strategies are most effective in preventing suicide at a local level and for at-risk populations.

Suicide is, unfortunately, something that touches many, many families and many workplaces. I have, unfortunately, personal experience of this at a personal level and at a work level. If anybody is listening that is struggling right now, I really encourage you to put your hand up and ask for help, and hopefully you'll have someone that is trying to touch base with you. We blokes tend to be the worst at this: 'She'll be right. We'll get through it'. Put your hand up and say that you're struggling, and hopefully someone will be there to help you.

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