Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about men's mental health, the silent killer which too often sits behind a brave face. Three in four lives lost to suicide are men's. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australian men under the age of 44, and, among young Australians aged 15 to 24, one in three deaths is suicide. These are not statistics. They're sons, brothers, mates and fathers—lives that were cut far too short. These numbers are heartbreaking, and we truly are in a mental health epidemic. Data shows the proportion of deaths by suicide is edging down. However, reductions in suicide are too often replaced by increased substance abuse. If a man's pain only changes its mask from a rope to a bottle to a pill, we've shifted the ledger, not healed the person.

Important national frameworks were set in motion under the coalition: the National Men's Health Strategy and the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan. These frameworks are now moving through the system, but they require ongoing backing, proper resourcing and consistent review if they're to deliver what they were designed to achieve. We must also be honest about the intersection between the NDIS and mainstream mental health systems. Roughly one in 10 NDIS participants enter the scheme with the primary psychosocial disability supports that are essential for their stability. With that being said, I want to point out the importance of offering both support and a meaningful pathway to recovery for these participants.

Constituents in my community have told me about the NDIS's tendencies when it comes to participants transitioning to work. Participants who are recovering, able and longing to get into work and contribute are being shot down within the system. We know that work, routine and social connection are some of the best ways to support recovery and mental wellbeing. Yet participants in my community tell me they're being explicitly discouraged from re-entering the workforce. These are people in recovery who are ready to move forward. Yet NDIA planners are making them second guess their progress, reinforcing dependence instead of providing support.

As reforms continue, we must ensure Australians with complex needs do not lose access to essential supports. If the pathway to therapy becomes harder, or if services become less viable to deliver, the outcome will not be savings. It will be more people in crisis. This brings me to my point. At a time of record demand, we've seen the number of Medicare subsidised psychology sessions halved from 20 to 10, leaving a massive gap in support. That's why, while I welcome government members recognising the urgency of mental health, I must ask: what are we actually doing to meet the need? Awareness is important. Education is important, but recognition without reform is not enough. The solutions needed are practical, not radical. While it's vital that the government has the support systems in place for those who need it, a very large piece to this, particularly in men's mental health, is having the courage to speak up and recognise when to seek support.

As a community, we must support men where they already are—on work sites, in offices, football fields and surf clubs—so that the first conversation does not have to be in a waiting room. We must make early intervention real in schools, in TAFEs and in universities, ensuring there's no wrong door and no dead end. Mental health must always be a national priority, and the test of a commitment to this will not be through words spoken or through dollars invested. It's whether in a moment of crisis an Australian can get the meaningful and effective support that they need. Right now, unfortunately, far too many can't. I'd like to say to anyone who's listening to this speech or who's reading it: anyone who's asking for help is not weak; they are courageous. You're needed, you're loved and your life has immeasurable worth.

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