Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion and thank the member for Bowman for bringing it forward. It's an issue that hits close to home for too many Australian families. Suicide prevention is not just a policy; it's about real people. It's about families losing someone they love, mates losing a mate and communities trying to make sense of something that should never have happened. This House has noted the findings of the Australian National Audit Office, and it's right that we take them seriously.

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has agreed to the recommendations. The government has accepted the report. Assistant Minister McBride is working through it very carefully right now. People expect that, when we invest this level of funding into suicide prevention, it's doing what it's meant to do. They are clear about outcomes, proper oversight and a system that is working, and that's fair. At the same time, we need to be honest about what we're dealing with here. Nine Australians die every single day from suicide. More than 150 attempt to take their own lives every day. These aren't just figures on a page. These are sons. These are daughters. These are parents, mates and workmates.

As Special Envoy for Men's Health, I see this through a very clear lens. Too many of those lives are men—men who are struggling, often quietly, telling themselves to toughen up and not reaching out until things have gone too far. We see it every day in workplaces, in sheds and in sporting clubs. Men are less likely to ask for help, more likely to put it off and more likely to wait until they're in real trouble. That's why suicide prevention can't just sit in one part of government. It has to be joined up. It's about mental health services. It's also about housing, the cost of living, family support, education and community connection because the things that push people to the edge are rarely just one thing.

The Albanese Labor government understands that. Last year, we released the National suicide prevention strategy2025-2035, and we've backed that up with real investment. Since 2022-23, more than $610 million has gone into suicide prevention initiatives, including support for people leaving hospital after a suicide attempt. There has been more than $300 million invested in supports designed to be delivered by First Nations communities. Around $200 million has gone into crisis support lines like Lifeline and 13YARN, making sure someone's there when that call comes in. On top of that, there's a $1.1 billion investment in mental health services to expand access and make it easier for people to get help, which includes more Medicare mental health centres, more headspace services and new youth specialist care centres.

These are practical steps that are helping people on the ground, but the ANAO report makes an important point that it's not enough just to spend money. We need to know that it is actually working. We need clear targets, proper tracking and a better way of measuring outcomes. That's why the work of the National Suicide Prevention Outcomes Framework matters. It'll help us understand what's actually making a difference and where we need to do better.

From a men's health point of view, this is absolutely critical. If we want to bring those numbers down, we have to meet men where they're at, which means making services easier to access, more practical and built around real life. It means reaching blokes in workplaces, in clubs and in community and not just expecting them to walk through the front door of a service. It also means getting in earlier, supporting boys and young men, helping them deal with stress, relationships, pressure and change before it builds up. At the same time, we can't ignore bigger pressures people are under right now. The cost of living, housing stress, family breakdowns and exposure to violence all play a role. If we want to reduce suicide, we have to deal with those pressures as well. So, yes, this motion raises real concerns about accountability, and those concerns should be taken seriously.

The government has accepted the ANAO recommendations and is working to strengthen how programs are measured and delivered, because, at the end of the day, this isn't about ticking boxes. It's about making sure that when someone's doing it tough, they can get the help they need and what actually works for them. Every life matters. We owe it to every mate, every worker out there, every community member, every family, every brother and sister to make sure we get this right.

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