James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government's stable and certain economic management is ensuring significant investment in medical research and helping address the real and fundamentally important issue of mental health and suicide prevention?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Sturt, who, along with many members, has come to this place with a passionate commitment to work to protect against suicide, to work for mental health. In particular, he has focused on the work of the Jamie Larcombe Centre, honouring a veteran who lost his life serving Australia—a centre that focuses on mental health for our veterans. But he's one of many people in this place who deal with the challenge that confronts the nation. We know that over 3,000 Australians lost their lives to suicide in the last year. That was a reduction of over 80 lives, but nevertheless 3,000 is still a catastrophic national tragedy. There are members on all sides who have been deeply involved. I acknowledge the member for Eden-Monaro, a veteran, who's not here today. I acknowledge the member for Berowra. I also acknowledge the member for Solomon and, of course, I acknowledge Phil Thompson, the member for Herbert, for his contribution, even today—powerful, moving words which we all value.

Against that background, we have set a clear target of working towards zero suicides in Australia. We've backed that with a $736 million package. In particular, that has focused on youth mental health and suicide prevention, an expansion in the number of headspaces, an expansion in the support for existing headspaces, early youth psychosis and Indigenous Australian support.

Importantly, though, we are also contributing to research. The establishment of the $125 million Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission is a milestone. Under the Medical Research Future Fund, this has already seen allocations of $27.5 million to a number of programs. Approximately $5 million has gone to the University of Western Australia for work, led by the great Professor Pat Dudgeon, on improving Indigenous mental health and to reduce Indigenous suicide—a scourge which it is just profoundly important to stop. Monash University has been given almost $5 million to reduce children's and youth suicide. And the University of Sydney has been given $3.6 million for work on eating disorders—a catastrophic condition that can take lives, can carve them up—to make real progress in a way the nation has never done before.

Against that background, I'm delighted to announce today that we are opening a further $8 million round for suicide prevention through the Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission. That funding, which we are able to afford and invest because of the state of the nation's economic health, means that we will search for and invite programs which are innovative, which are creative and which will save lives in the community and across the nation. (Time expired)