Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing. Will the minister update the House on RU OK? Day and how the government is addressing suicide in our community?

Mark Butler (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Wakefield for his question. Experience tells us that today seven Australians will die through suicide and more than 200 will make a suicide attempt. One in four young males who die do so through suicide. It is the biggest killer of men under 45 and women under 35. Some groups in our community, like Indigenous Australians, gay and lesbian Australians and Australians who are themselves bereaved through suicide, are particularly vulnerable. I do not imagine there is any member in this place who has not been affected by suicide either personally or in their role as a community representative.

The Prime Minister's commitment last year to redouble our efforts and our investment in suicide prevention forms an important part of this year's record mental health package. Those investments include expanding capacity for suicide crisis hotlines, infrastructure at notorious suicide hotspots, more money for successful community initiatives in suicide prevention and much more. Often the most effective strategies are the simplest.

Today is RU OK? Day, the third year in which this campaign has been run with the support of the Australian government. The message of RU OK? Day is that taking the time to ask someone you know who seems out of sorts, 'Are you okay?' can be the trigger to them seeking help and finding their way out of a dark and potentially suicidal place. It reminds us that, as important as government investment and government services undoubtedly are, looking out for those around us is an essential part of helping people we know and people we love to take that first step towards seeking help.

The message has been extremely successful. The campaign uses social media brilliantly. It has enlisted the pulling power of ambassadors like Jack Thompson, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts as well as a list of NRL stars who continue to speak to that diminishing number of Australians who continue to hold out against the ultimately irresistible spread of the AFL. Hundreds of workplaces and businesses around the country are sponsoring RU OK? events at work today to get the message out to their employees. Here in Parliament House an RU OK? morning tea was co-hosted by Senator Humphries and our own member for Kingston, Amanda Rishworth, who I think is the only qualified mental health professional at least in this chamber.

In 2009, research showed that 650,000 Australians participated in a conversation prompted by RU OK? Day. In 2010, that number reached two million, and I would be surprised if the number does not increase this year. This simple and effective campaign is the brainchild of a successful advertising executive, Gavin Larkin, who lost his own father 16 years ago to suicide. Many here will have seen Gav featured on this week's Australian Story with his son, Gus, and many others will know that Gav is not okay. Gav has advanced cancer and is currently receiving palliative care. I am sure that I can say that all of our thoughts go out to Gav and his family at this incredibly difficult time. I also imagine that his family must be very proud of the legacy that he has created through this campaign, because it is a campaign that will save lives.