Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like many members it's a mixture of emotions to speak on a motion such as this, because many Australians have had lives that have been touched by the sad and tragic early passing of their friends or family as a consequence of suicide. Those who may have previously watched this chamber before may know that, sadly, my brother-in-law committed suicide a few years ago. And I know that other people have had similar experiences and that's why it's so difficult to talk about this issue, but it's also the reason we need to talk about this issue. Tragically suicide is the leading cause of death in people, particularly between the ages of 15 to 24 and 25 to 44, since 2016 and 2018. We know that because of consequences of mental health problems and other pressures in people's lives increasingly people feel more fragile, and as a consequence they're taking their last resort—as what they see to be a legitimate pathway. But suicide is never legitimate pathway whatever the difficulty that people face. It's incumbent on the rest of us to do what whatever we can do to support those who are facing difficulty.

It's particularly pressing at this time because we know in the great state of Victoria, during its fourth lockdown, the pressures of mental health challenges that many Victorians are facing right now are significant. In fact, only earlier this afternoon I was chatting to a constituent and friend of mine, who wanted to talk about an unrelated matter. I asked him how things were going within the community and he talked about his wife and how she had recently, meaning in the past 24 hours, had a work colleague who had committed suicide. Of course that has an impact on her and her family, but also, of course, the broader community. Another tragic life has been needlessly lost because of the pressures that people face. I'm not seeking to blame that on anyone in particular, I'm just trying to make the observation that this is, sadly, a common occurrence that occurred during the last lockdown. A number of people that I know, including a number within the Goldstein community, and I'm sure it's replicated elsewhere—and I see other members from Victoria here as well who have confronted the reality of people within their communities. Often a person seems to do well and is not somebody who we would normally say is struggling or not coping. They may be running a successful small business or may even be a proud parent, but because they are faced with darker demons or other challenges in their lives, which may have been brought about as a consequence of the lockdown, they make a fatal choice. I know, certainly, that my husband, Ryan, had a former colleague who took that option. I also know of some local small business people who couldn't see a pathway out during a gruelling three-month lockdown and the impact that it was having on them. They couldn't see whether they were going to be able to rebuild as they watched their entire lives and the rewards of their hard work disappear in front of them.

Of course we know that there are many programs targeted specifically at supporting people who are facing mental health conditions, particularly in the context of suicide. In the Goldstein electorate we have a headspace clinic in Bentleigh, and there is one in Elsternwick, just on our border with Higgins. Headspace plays a particularly important role in getting to the community and, in particular, marginalised sections of the community to provide mental health care and support, whether it's to people of different ethnic backgrounds and culturally and linguistically diverse communities or to people of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities. Of course, amongst the general community, headspace works with local schools, local mental health practitioners and local support staff so that they can get support. We thank them every day for the important work that they do.

During the lockdown last year we actually did a video. It is on the Goldstein page and Tim Wilson MP Facebook page, so, if you need to, you can go back and have a look at it again. The video works through the local mental health supporters and shows the assistance that headspace in Bentleigh can provide to young people who are struggling at this difficult time. We may even repost that as a consequence of the present lockdown, in case people need that assistance and support.

Of course, government plays a critical role in that conversation. One of the leading contributions, particularly throughout last year's lockdown, although it has also continued until today, is the significant package that has been provided by the Morrison government to support people with mental health needs during this time. Hopefully, they won't be needed further, but it's critical that they're available for those who need them.

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