Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to commend my colleague the member for Bowman, who cares deeply and passionately about this issue, for moving this motion. I also want to recognise the very good work that my colleague the member for Hunter has done, particularly from a regional area perspective and particularly on behalf of men who are overrepresented in this cohort. So to both of you: I want to praise and commend the efforts that you've invested in this very important issue, because it's something that touches many people.

I want to also acknowledge that there are a number of groups in my electorate of Monash who do outstanding work: Zero Suicide community awareness, the Gippsland chapter and the people involved in that organisation; and Donna, the mother of Daniel, who has an organisation named in his honour—Daniel's Wings of Pride. My own journey through this issue started with Lifeline Gippsland as a board member many years ago in my 20s. I also served on the board of Latrobe Regional Hospital. The Flynn Ward there and the very dedicated mental health staff live with the consequences of this issue.

In my early 20s, as many young people are, I was touched by two people, Bec and John-Michael, who took their lives. Some 22 years later, I still think of Bec's little sister and John-Michael's father at their funerals. I think about how they're getting on today. Men's suicide is overrepresented in this cohort. Some 75 per cent of people who completed suicide are men. That equates to about seven men a day as of 2023. We need to do better by husbands and fathers and sons and uncles and nephews and brothers in our community, particularly in our regional communities, which are again overrepresented.

I know it's a real struggle for a number of organisations who do incredibly good work. Just last week I was in Foster at the South Gippsland Hospital. I want to praise the efforts of community and allied health professionals who do all that they can with scant resources at both state and federal government levels and with a number of obstacles in their way. They care deeply, and they're highly skilled professionals who want to make a change in this area.

The recent Auditor-General's report makes clear that what we're doing, with the best of intentions, is not good enough. We have critical gaps in how policies are designed, funded and measured. Despite close to $1 billion in taxpayer investment, there's no consistent or reliable way to determine whether these programs are actually having an impact on suicide rates. We need to have clear initiatives that don't lack clear baselines, targets and outcome tracking. We need funding agreements to meet meaningful evidence of effectiveness. We need to have a system with results that continue to make sure that there are more significant resources in clear line of sight.

Behind these findings is a stark human reality. Around nine Australians lose their life to suicide every day, with more than 150 daily attempts. That's one in five Australians experiencing mental health challenges every year. This is despite decades of focus and growing expenditure with organisations like Beyondblue, headspace—a proud initiative that I've supported along the way—and Lifeline, who do incredible work as well. National suicide rates have remained largely unchanged. I think this highlights the urgent need for a more effective approach. We cannot continue on as we are. Australians deserve a system that prioritises accountability; strengthens community based support; and measures success by lives saved, not money spent.

I know a lot of these organisations run on the smell of an oily rag. When I was involved with Lifeline Gippsland, the op shops across Gippsland would have e-waste sales and do huge amounts of fundraising to support the incredible volunteer telephone counsellors that save lives and make a huge difference every single day of the week. I pay tribute to their efforts. Headspace is a great organisation. We've got a headspace in Wonthaggi and another one in the Latrobe Valley. I am desperately fighting for a new headspace facility in West Gippsland to meet the needs of the growing population. I commend the member for Bowman and this motion.

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