Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Ageing and Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) the R U OK? Conversation Convoy began on 30 July 2018 to raise awareness that a conversation could change a life, and the Convoy will:

(a) travel across 14,000 kilometres and 25 communities to show Australians that every day is the day to ask: Are you Ok?; and

(b) conclude in Sydney on 13 September 2018 which is also R U OK? Day, an important day which was first established in 2009 to raise awareness around suicide prevention and mental ill health;

(2) the statistics around suicide and mental ill health are heartbreaking and confronting:

(a) in 2016, 2,866 Australians lost their lives to suicide;

(b) research reveals that around 65,000 Australians attempt suicide every year and hundreds of thousands of people are impacted by each suicide death; and

(c) one in five Australians experience mental ill health in any year;

(3) all levels of government and the community are urged to work together to reduce the impact of suicide and mental ill health in our society; and

(4) work must continue towards reducing stigma and raising community awareness around suicide prevention and mental ill health.

Many people in this place would be familiar with R U OK? Day. This year's R U OK? Day marks 10 years from when Gavin Larkin first came up with the concept of 'R U OK?', and the Conversation Convoy has been happening for the last few years. They take cars around the country and they go to regional and remote parts of the country as well as the cities and invite people to start the conversation: 'Are you okay?' . Of course, it's one thing to start the conversation 'Are you okay?', but it is, of course, very important to listen. The four simple steps that R U OK Day are seeking are that you ask the question, you listen, you then encourage action if the person is not okay and you check in to make a difference to someone who may not be okay or who you think is behaving differently to their usual behaviour.

This year's convoy travelled over 14,000 kilometres and visited 25 communities, beginning in Geelong and finishing off in Sydney just last week. It visited some of the more remote communities in Australia, as I have mentioned. Indeed, I've been pleased to see it in my home state, although not this year. It was there this year, but I was unable to attend. The previous year, it came to Hobart.

Slowly but surely, initiatives like 'R U OK?' are actually helping to reduce the stigma around mental ill health. They are encouraging people to put up their hand to say, 'I'm not okay,' or, 'I'm struggling, or, 'I need some help.' What's important is that, when we do that, help is available. I know from talking to government members that many people on their side understand that some of this help is not always available and we need to do better, working with our state and local government colleagues and the not-for-profit sector to ensure that we can do that.

Labor has a very proud history when it comes to supporting people with mental ill health. We increased the budget very substantially when we were in government, with $200 million over five years for 30 new headspace centres. I know the current government has also made increases to headspace since coming into office. There is absolute bipartisanship when it comes to dealing with mental ill health and access for people with mental ill health, but it's not an easy task.

Far too many Australians still lose their lives to suicide—indeed, over 2,800 in 2016. That's almost eight a day. We need to do better. It's almost double the national road toll. That's without the attempts of suicide, the number of which is also extraordinarily high. We can and we should do better, and I know that everybody in this place wants to do better. We continue to be inspired by individuals like Gavin Larkin, who created R U OK?, and the current community people but also the corporate sponsors of R U OK? The campaign relies primarily on corporate donations and philanthropy to run the conversation convoy to have these important conversations. I know there are many businesses and businesspeople around Australia today supporting those community not-for-profit organisations that are making a big difference when it comes to mental ill health. We believe that all levels of government should focus on this. It's the role of not just the federal government but the state and local governments and the for-profit and not-for-profit sector.

We have also created recently in this place the Parliamentary Friends of Suicide Prevention. It's now in its second year. Again, there is wonderful bipartisanship, with the member for Berowra, Julian Leeser, and Mike Kelly, the member for Eden-Monaro, on our side, cohosting that parliamentary friends group. It is a really important group that is taking advice and talking to people in the community about what we as members of this place can do further to reduce that terrible suicide number each and every year, because there is so much to be done.

Offering bipartisanship, of course, does not mean that we do not from time to time criticise some of the things we think the government does or doesn't do. One of those was in relation to the suicide prevention trial sites. At the time of the last election, Labor had a commitment to 12 trial sites. We called on the government to extend their commitment from eight to 12 trial sites, and we were really pleased that they did. It did take a little while, but I welcomed the Minister for Health extending those trial sites, because this is really important. In mental ill health, the data and the evidence about what works are missing. We need those suicide prevention trial sites and that data to make sure that what we are spending at both the Commonwealth and the state level with governments—hundreds of billions of dollars—is the very best spend to save as many Australians as we possibly can, and we need to continue to do that together.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Franklin for raising this vitally important conversation, which can save lives. I speak today about an issue that faces one in every three Australians—an organisation that travels across 14,000 kilometres reaching 25 communities to reiterate that same all-important question: 'Are you okay?' The 13th of September last week was R U OK? Day—the day we all stop to check in on our friends, family and colleagues to make sure they aren't weighed under by the burden of mental health issues. The R U OK? campaign is one of the primary organisations aiding the mental health issue in Australia. This health issue is serious, has drastic consequences for our communities and poses a great risk to the wellbeing of our people. The statistics are heartbreaking and deeply disturbing, such as the 65,000 attempted suicides in the year 2016 and, sadly, the 2,866 Australians who took their own lives in the last year.

This year we took the conversation on the road, with the R U OK? Conversation Convoy, which travelled across Australia, making sure everyone was aware of the conversation we need to have. This year's theme was 'Make every day R U OK? Day', recognising that we need to be checking in on our friends every day of the year, not just on 13 September. We must all spread the message that it is perfectly fine to be struggling with the toils of life and that your family, friends and health services are there to take care of you. Considering that one in five Australians experience some form of mental health every year, it is of the utmost importance that, as a nation, we are there to support those who are not coping—that we are there to help our mates and family over the line and that we are there to talk to our fellow Australians who may not be doing so well. It is for these reasons that I support R U OK? and remind all of us that it's our duty to decrease the stigma around mental health and raise community awareness around preventing suicide. This can be as simple as pulling your friend aside and asking that easy and important question. I call on the rest of government at all levels to put their best foot forward and prevent the tragedy of suicide. Tell all the people we know that we are there for them through the best and the worst.

Suicide affects Australians every day of the year. In the last fortnight, members of my office have been touched by the loss of a great friend and great talent, Luke Liang. Luke was one of the up-and-coming stars of the music industry, a session musician who played on stages around the world with the likes of Alex the Astronaut, Jarryd James, Montaigne and many more. But more important than his great talent was his great humility and kindness. I'm told he was one of the most genuine, decent people anyone could ever hope to meet. But what matters for this debate today is that Luke seemed fine. He was always smiling and seemed carefree. The world was at his feet and he was capable of anything. We can never forget that mental health issues don't necessarily look like mental health issues, and that is why we must ask: 'Are you okay?'

The R U OK? organisation is leading the charge to reduce stigma and invite the mentally unwell to ask for support through those closest to them, and they deserve our highest respect. I thank the organisation dearly for the lives they have saved and the awareness they have spread. I hope that one day we will no longer need this day to remind us to check in on our friends; it will simply be a part of our conversation.

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 13 September, was R U OK? Day. Now in its 10th year, R U OK? Day aims to nurture social responsibility and belonging by encouraging people to meaningfully connect with others by simply asking: 'Are you okay?' The four simple steps—ask, listen, encourage action and check in—can make a difference to someone who may be struggling. It's such a simple message—a simple gesture that costs us nothing, yet, when we ask someone if they are okay, the difference it can make to a person who's feeling overwhelmed can be life changing. Well done, therefore, to the R U OK? Conversation Convoy that began its journey of raising awareness on 30 July, traversing 14,000 kilometres and 25 communities before reaching Sydney on 13 September.

In my electorate, I am proud to have so many people and organisations who make it their business to promote R U OK? Day by holding a number of events on the day, thus ensuring that, as a community, we are working together to promote mental health and wellbeing and to reduce the stigma of suicide and mental health. This year, throughout all of last week, Northern Health, a health service provider with many locations in my electorate, including Broadmeadows Hospital and Craigieburn pharmacy, held a week of conversations on mental wellness as part of their psychological wellbeing strategy. Northern Health does a great job of recognising and representing the objectives of R U OK? Day. It has adopted a psychological wellbeing strategy as an initiative to protect the mental health of its staff, promote wellbeing and intervene to address mental health concerns. Its many events, including talks from guest speakers, fundraising events, yoga sessions and pastoral care sessions, held all across the Northern Health centres, involved a guest speaker last Monday who discussed the impact of suicide on families and communities, talking from personal experience and looking at how discussion can lead to empowerment of others. Guest speakers from beyondblue and Treat health care were also on hand to begin conversations about mental health among families, friends and work colleagues. The local TAFE, Kangan Institute, holds R U OK? Day events every year for staff and students on their campuses.

I want to give a big shout-out this morning to my young constituent Puneet Gulati, who is the founder and managing director of One World Family Inc. Puneet has a distinguished list of commendations, ranging from Hume Young Citizen of the Year 2015, White Ribbon Ambassador, Bully Zero Australia Foundation Ambassador, AFL Multicultural Community Ambassador 2015-16 and regional adviser for North West Metropolitan Melbourne on the Victorian Multicultural Commission. These are all well-deserved recognition of the tremendous level of volunteer work he does in promoting the need to be aware and to support people in our community who live in adversity.

Puneet came to Australia from his native India in 2007 and initially lived alone, like thousands of other migrants, as he would say. But one thing he learnt in that time is: 'Living alone and feeling alone are two different scenarios.' Adapting to life in a new country was challenging, but a serious car accident which left him very badly injured compounded the depression he had already been suffering from. It was the support of his family and friends that helped him turn his life around. He has wanted to give back to community by reciprocating the support he has received. Puneet said:

I wanted to do something that empowers people, the world has plenty of discouragers but we need more Encouragers for a peaceful and meaningful life.

Puneet Gulati epitomises what R U OK? is all about, and he profoundly believes, 'Our little gestures can change, really change, the way someone is feeling'.

I had the pleasure of seeing a video clip Puneet recently produced. Its message is simple: We should never give up on our friends. It's okay to fail at times. We can be a survivor throughout it if we choose to live life on the positive side. Puneet, who is now studying acting at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, uses his many artistic talents to help convey important messages and, as he says, to:

… name and shame bullying and harassment, educate each other by talking about mental health ... we may sometimes feel that we can never do enough but what matters is that we don't stop.

It's very important that we take comfort from people like Puneet Gulati and others, who give their time to help other people, to ask if people are okay and then to follow through and make sure they actually are okay.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'G'day mate, how are you going?' needs to be more than just a greeting. We need to stop, listen to the response and check on our friends. It saddens me deeply to rise to speak on this motion on a subject that has touched far too many in our great Australian family. Suicide is a terrible tragedy not just for those who are the victims but also for those who are left behind. While I cannot begin to appreciate the desperation, abandonment or isolation a person must feel prior to ending their life, I do feel so very distressed by the fact this can occur, and continues to occur, in today's communities. It troubles me greatly that, in a country as full of opportunity as ours, some people feel so isolated that they believe suicide is the only available path to peace. In more recent years, we've even heard of self-harm and suicidal ideations from children and teenagers. For me—and I'm sure everyone here agrees—this offers a grim reality of what some younger Australians accept as their fate.

Every year, more than 65,000 Australians attempt suicide. More than 2,500 Australians die by suicide, and more young Australians die by suicide than through road deaths. This is simply not good enough. Not one person in this place could say that they have not had experience with mental illness or suicide, no matter how close or far from them. The Ryan electorate is home to Gallipoli Barracks and has a large veteran population. Unfortunately, suicide is far too prevalent within our returned services community. While the rate of suicide in the ADF is no greater than the rate in the general populace, it troubles me that people with easy access to quality care and counselling still choose to end their lives rather than to seek help.

There are, however, support groups in the Defence community similar to R U OK? which also help to ease the burdens many are living through. For example, Wounded Heroes, an organisation of which I'm proud to be a patron, funds support services for deployed personnel, the wounded and their families. Services like this could potentially be the difference between current personnel or veterans choosing to live a full contributing life or leave their loved ones behind. We must do more to end the stigma surrounding not only suicide but, more importantly, seeking help for what are in most cases treatable illnesses. Volunteer groups like Meals on Wheels are more than just a meal. In keeping with the true spirit and premise of R U OK?, Meals on Wheels is an effective welfare check on individuals who may not otherwise have much contact with others. The Red Cross Telecross service provides a daily telephone call to check on people's wellbeing. This provides peace of mind if they are at risk of an accident or illness that may go unnoticed. One of the most recognisable services is Lifeline's Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention service. If someone is listening to me speak at the moment and needs support, please contact 131114.

On the subject of today's motion, R U OK?, there is nothing shameful about asking for help. A plea for help might be what saves a life and could be the difference between a family losing a parent or sibling and seeing that the individual receives the necessary assistance to treat them through their mental torment. Suicide and mental illness are concerns that have an impact upon all Australians. As a country we must take it upon ourselves to address the leading cause of death among men aged under 44 and women aged under 34. As a nation we have a suicide problem. Talking about it here and acknowledging the issue is a good start, but we must do more. I acknowledge and offer my heartfelt gratitude to organisations like R U OK? which inspire and empower people to connect with others around them and support those struggling through life's ups and downs. R U OK? is up-front in its acknowledgement that suicide prevention is not a simple, prescribed process. In fact the very question 'Are you okay?' could well be the connection a person craves long before they consider suicide. We may sit on opposite sides of the House, but mental illness and suicide do not have political boundaries. I commend the mover of the motion to the House and I thank the member for Franklin for drawing attention to the issue of suicide prevention and raising awareness of the work of R U OK? 'G'day mate; how are you going?' could save future lives.

Ross Hart (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I chose to speak on this motion on Wednesday last week. Over a five-year period from 2012 to 2016 the average number of suicide deaths per year was 2,795. 2016 preliminary data showed a total of 2,866 deaths by suicide. That is approximately seven per day, and 178 people attempt per day. Since last Wednesday 890 people have thought they had no other choice available to them but to attempt suicide and 35 have lost their lives and are lost to us, their families and their communities—people who deserve to be more than a statistic. The ripples through our community run from each completed suicide. Many ask the question 'Why?' In addition to that we often feel a certain sense of helplessness and of what might have been. 'What if' scenarios abound. Sometimes the sense of loss and of responsibility in turn create their own problems as the ripples of loss create further effects disturbing lives in unforeseen ways.

I remember now how that felt to me15 years ago. A young, vibrant and hardworking employee went home to an empty house. For whatever the final reason she could not bear her life and elected to take steps which resulted in her death. I know it's hard for her family to accept she may have intended suicide. I made successive calls to her workmates that awful day, the emotion of each call like a stab through the heart—shock, disbelief and regret. Some staff members were in turn deeply affected, showing in very real terms what the ripples of disturbance from suicide mean in practice. Counselling and support services help but don't replace the loss or salve the pain, even when that pain is a shared experience. In preparing this speech the memories came flooding back, at times so vivid that I cannot contemplate what it's like for a person to lose their daughter, a partner or a loved one.

On Friday I received a message which again emphasised the immediacy and currency of this issue, another friend, a colleague, a highly respected leader and mentor to many, was lost. The media reported, 'died suddenly', that awful code. Again, there was shock, disbelief and even anger, with colleagues again lamenting a departed, respected friend.

R U OK? is intended to empower us to ask that difficult question, but the alternative to asking that difficult question is, indeed, much worse: the inevitable disbelief and the 'why' when someone attempts and completes the act of suicide. Better to ask the difficult question, to ask whether a friend or a colleague is okay, than to regret not asking the question. Better to activate your better instincts and judgement as to a person's outward appearance. If things appear not quite right, ask the question, 'Are you okay?' The question may prompt a response which in turn demands further action, but if R U OK? is to be effective to save lives and prompt a friend or colleague to say no then each of us bear the responsibility to act.

What does acting in response to your question look like? Suggestions published in connection with R U OK? Day include: ask what is going on in their lives, listen actively and ask, 'How can I help or is there something I can do for you right now?' Sometimes it's about keeping them company, providing practical support or linking them with health professionals. Direct questions, in particular about self-harm, can be asked. It's okay to ask whether somebody has considered killing themselves. In asking those questions it is better to be nonjudgemental rather than clothing questions around, 'Don't do anything silly.'

Finally, consider doing a course on mental health first aid. Like with traditional first-aid techniques, the training teaches people how to offer additional support until appropriate professional help is received or until a crisis is resolved. It's possible to be the person who is able to act coolly in a crisis. It is possible for that person to ask the question, 'Are you okay?'

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned. Resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.