Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Suicide continues to be the biggest killer of Australians aged between 14 and 25 years. This week is End Youth Suicide Week. In 2021, 402 young Australian lives were lost to suicide. Each one of those deaths was preventable. These young people have been described as the missing middle, but they are not missing; they are in fact forgotten.

I speak today about the excellent organisation Youth Insearch, established in 1985, which is a peer-led youth trauma recovery group working to change our statistics around youth suicide in Australia. All Australians deserve the very best chance for a healthy, happy and rewarding life, yet, despite $11 billion invested by government, business and private funders each year, youth suicide rates are far too high and many young Australians are not receiving the support they need. Since its inception Youth Insearch has supported 32,000 at-risk youth. Its model of lived experience and peer workforce is the key ingredient in both prevention of and early intervention for youth suicide. Research tells us that a young person is much more likely to disclose their distress and suicide intent to a peer, as opposed to an adult health professional.

I commend the work of Youth Insearch in saving and rebuilding lives. I mention in particular Ben Shepherd, who passed away tragically in 2003.