Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to be able to speak on this bill. In a previous life, prior to coming to this place, I served as a police officer in a country town. I attended many suicides as a police officer—many dozens over a period of four years. In fact, on one particular day I attended on three suicides. I'm very pleased to hear today that both sides of the floor are bipartisan and intent on reducing deaths by suicide to zero. I'm also very pleased to be part of a government that has that policy and is working towards that.

The effect that suicide not only has on the families of those who die, but has on the community around them is astounding and tragic. It's tragic for the first responders—the police, the ambulance, those who have to attend, the medical officers and the people around them—particularly attending on those who are young. They were the hardest deaths to attend as a police officer, the teenagers. The teenagers who felt that they had nothing or had no-one and had no future, and yet the signs were all around that that's how they felt. But that was back in the late eighties, early nineties, and so much has changed since then. We have changed to recognise that firstly we need to have that conversation. We need to have that conversation about mental health. Over the past two or three decades, we have come so far to talk about that, to have that conversation, to ask, 'Are you okay?'

The development of headspace centres—and I'm particularly proud of the headspace centres in Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour and the work that they do. I can say that they are overloaded. They are stretched so thin. I can guarantee them that I will continue to fight for further funding for those centres. I am also very proud to say that there will be a further headspace centre set up in Kempsey where the overrepresentation of youth suicide exceeds far and beyond not only the state but Australia.

I am happy to be able to speak on World Suicide Prevention Day, as I am on headspace day and R U OK? Day, because this government has now invested a record amount—never seen before—towards suicide prevention, towards talking to the community and towards talking to those who feel that they have nothing to offer. In my 18 years as a criminal defence lawyer I dealt with many who had mental health issues. I dealt with many who, unfortunately, took their lives by their own hand because of the situations they found themselves in.

I feel that if the progress which has been made over the last 10 years had not been reached we would still be in that position. But because of this government's investment, and because of the bipartisan approach—and I thank the other side for that—we are working towards that zero number. But it will take more than the government's contribution; it will take the contribution of those in the community to step outside of their comfort zones and speak to somebody, asking: 'Are you okay? Do you need help?' They need to refer them to somebody, a professional, even sometimes against their own will. That's because in time they will turn around and say, 'Thank you.' That's what we need to do for the benefit of our nation and for the benefit of our people. One life matters, and we can make that difference.

I thank the Morrison government and I thank the other side for their bipartisan support. I will continue to do everything I can to support people with mental health issues.

Debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13 : 12 to 16 : 00

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