Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend the motion to include the name of Senator Siewert.

Leave granted.

I, and also on behalf of Senator Siewert, move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) on 30 July 2018, the RUOK? Conversation Convoy began to raise awareness that a conversation could change a life,

(ii) the Conversation Convoy will travel across 14 000 kilometres and 25 communities to show Australians that every day is the day to ask “Are you OK?”, and

(iii) the Conversation Convoy will conclude in Sydney on 13 September 2018, which is also RUOK? Day – this important day was first established in 2009 to raise awareness around suicide prevention and mental ill-health;

(b) acknowledges that:

(i) the statistics around suicide and mental ill-health are heartbreaking and confronting,

(ii) in 2016, 2 866 Australians lost their lives to suicide – research also reveals that around 65 000 people attempt suicide every year and hundreds of thousands of people are impacted by each suicide death, and

(iii) one in five Australians experience mental ill-health in any year; and

(c) urges:

(i) all levels of government and the community to work together to reduce the impact of suicide and mental ill-health in our society, and

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

Question agreed to.