Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More than 65,000 Australian people attempt to take their lives every year. Today seven people will die by suicide. Aboriginal and Torres Strait people continue to have amongst the highest suicide rates in the world. With this backdrop I attended the Black Dog Ball at Paradise Lagoons on Saturday night. The 2015 Black Dog Ball placed a firm focus on raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing within the rural and construction sectors of Central Queensland. It was a full house, with 350 people in attendance. All funds raised went to Mates in Construction, who go out to job sites and make people aware of the signs of depression that can lead to suicides.

Suicide levels within the construction industry are two times higher than for those who work in other industries. These workers have six times more likelihood of dying through suicide than through workplace accident. The construction industry has far too many suicides, but it is a fact that the industry is in the process of changing. Suicide is preventable, and that is what Mates in Construction intends to do. The crowd was entertained by the Three Waiters and I would like to congratulate the committee for a job well done.