Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week, Youth Insearch launched the Blue Heart social media campaign. For those who are not aware, Youth Insearch is a multi-award-winning charity organisation dedicated to helping young people experiencing low self-esteem and depression. It does so through peer group support programs led by young people who have overcome challenges in the past who act as inspirational role models. Based in my electorate of Mitchell, Youth Insearch has helped over 31,000 youths turn around their lives, including thousands at risk of suicide. For almost 35 years, Youth Insearch has brought young people together to help each other navigate life and reach their full potential. They provide early intervention programs of counselling, support, mentoring and empowerment for at-risk youth in over 100 communities in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

The Blue Heart campaign aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of youth suicide in Australia. It may surprise some to learn that suicide is the leading cause of death in young Australians between 15 and 24 years of age. It accounts for more deaths than car accidents. The number of deaths by youth suicide in Australia currently is at the highest it has been for over a decade. More work needs to be done to reduce this horrifying statistic, and Youth Insearch is doing just that. In 2018 there were over 1,000 attendants in the Youth Insearch program. Of these, 60 per cent were feeling suicidal and 44 per cent had attempted suicide. Thankfully, 75 per cent of those were no longer suicidal after participating in the program, with all receiving the on-going follow-up support that they need.

The Youth Insearch Blue Heart campaign is creating awareness to empower young people and those around them to talk about how they are feeling and how they would deal with the issues they face. Therefore, I encourage members of this House and everyone who hears this speech to support this campaign. Together, we can help save the lives of our youth who are most at risk. We want to spread hope, one heart at a time, and we want to help Youth Insearch to raise awareness and to prevent youth suicide. I want to commend Youth Insearch. It's a great organisation. I have dealt with it over many years in the House. The CEO, Heath Ducker, is carrying the torch for a long program that has delivered so much for so many young people. Governments in various incarnations and of various political persuasions have funded Youth Insearch over the last 15 to 20 years. We have seen that federal money, I think, pay an enormous dividend. Small amounts given to this organisation have led to lower youth suicide rates and real stability in at-risk youth and people who were facing the most substantial challenges in their young lives. I commend to all members that they visit the website and look at Youth Insearch's Facebook and Twitter pages and I urge them to help this great organisation and replicate it across the country. There are not too many groups in Australia today that can claim to have helped 31,000 youths over the last few years to turn their lives around, including young people at risk of suicide. It's a great community organisation and I'm very proud to be supporting it as a local member.