Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the member for Herbert for moving this motion today. Every day, in my role as Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, I'm presented with hard facts and realities about suicide in Australia. The strongest point is this. Over the last two decades, child abuse and neglect have consistently been the leading risk factors contributing to the years of healthy life lost due to suicide and self-inflicted injuries—more than mental ill-health; more than relationship breakdown; more than a lack of housing, a lack of employment or a lack of financial security. The highest contributors to years of healthy life lost are child abuse and neglect. They are associated with 24 per cent of the years of healthy life lost in males and 33 per cent of the years of healthy life lost in females. That's absolutely unacceptable.

We also know that 1.4 million Australians—or about one in every dozen—have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Given the sensitivities, we are cognisant that that figure is likely far higher.

Child sexual abuse is confronting. It is also devastating for victims-survivors and those who are vicariously impacted: parents, teachers, siblings and friends. As such, our response must be robust. It must be evidence based.

Firstly, we are addressing childhood sexual abuse at the source, by stopping abuse before it happens. This work is being led by the Attorney-General's Department, through the National Office for Child Safety. The work of the office is underpinned by the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, a first-of-its-kind, whole-of-nation policy approach that was created in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that the member for Newcastle has just spoken of.

Secondly, we are determined to support victims-survivors. In January we brought together Australia's leading advocates for mental health and suicide prevention. We also brought to that same group those with lived and living experience of mental ill health. Their voice has for too long been missing from this conversation. We often talk about person-centred care while not properly including those with lived and living experience. We're changing that.

The Albanese government is investing $8.5 million to support those with lived experience of mental health to shape the policies and programs that affect them. We're establishing two independent national mental health lived experience peak bodies—one representing consumers and the other representing carers, families and kin. This investment puts the voices of people with lived and living experience of mental ill health and suicide at the centre of decision-making as we work together to create a fairer, improved system that meets the needs of all Australians, young and old, wherever they live.

These bodies will also inform how we support victims of child sexual abuse, because we will only see real change when we put the voices of those who are impacted at the centre and when we amplify the voices of those with lived and living experience in decision-making and leadership. It will make robust sexual abuse policy, and robust policy will inform effective care for those in distress. It will make significant progress in suicide prevention by addressing the drivers of distress and reducing the likelihood that individuals experience suicidal ideation.

It is not just good suicide prevention policy. It will significantly reduce costs to and pressure on and will build capacity in our health care, particularly our mental health care system. This conversation is difficult and confronting, but it must be had. I look forward to continuing to progress this work and to work with genuine cooperation with all members of parliament and senators while keeping focus on who this work is for—our young people.

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