I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
It is so important that we’re all here today.
I’d like to acknowledge my colleagues from across the Parliament – not least Emma McBride, the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
I’d particularly like to acknowledge Nieves Murray, the CEO of Suicide Prevention Australia, and Michael Gardner, the head of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Suicide Prevention Office.
I thank you for all that you do, and for all the experience, wisdom and compassion that you bring to your roles.
I also pay tribute to your member organisations, practitioners, researchers and community leaders.
This is one realm where political differences melt away.
The work to prevent suicide unites us all.
Every death by suicide is its own universe of devastation.
It is tragic for those who are gone.
Those who saw no other way out.
And it is tragic for those left behind, the shape of their world forever changed.
So many lives have been touched by suicide.
Many right here today know it only too well.
And it is through the experience of those who have lived through this that we seek out the slivers of light among the shadows.
Sadly there is no way of undoing what you have been through, but if there’s one small positive, it is that your experience – and the action that it helps inform – could save a life.
Of course, there are no simple options before us.
The drivers of suicide are complex.
It may result from serious mental illness, but more often it can be a response to distress.
And the roots of distress are endlessly varied, and often tangled.
Family breakdown, sexual abuse, unemployment, financial loss or insecurity, homelessness, domestic and family violence, social isolation, drug or alcohol dependency – these are all possible contributors.
That is why we are taking a whole-of-government approach aimed at reducing drivers of distress in their structural and systemic forms.
We’re having a debate in this country, my Government’s committed to introducing age restriction legislation for social media by the end of this year.
That is a response to the impact that social media is having as well.
These social media companies tend to think they don’t have a social responsibility.
Well, they do.
And we as a Parliament, as a Government and a nation should hold them to account.
Our Government is investing in a range of programs and initiatives to support people at risk of suicide and those affected by suicide.
Critically, our actions are not restricted to the health portfolio.
So much is interlinked, which is why we’re taking measures to decrease financial pressures and increase job security.
Introducing paid Domestic Violence Leave so that no one has to choose between their financial security and their physical and mental safety.
And working to find solutions to the slow epidemic of military suicides, a challenge so starkly laid bare yesterday in the report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
A seven volume Report.
Seven volumes.
122 recommendations.
And my Government will respond as soon as possible to that Report and I am confident that this is an area where the Parliament will work across the political divide to make sure that we address this.
That we give respect to those men and women who wear our uniform or who retire from the Defence Force.
Clearly we just need to do better.
Another critical ingredient is our housing reforms.
Secure housing is one of the largest preventable drivers of distress.
Increased investment to rental assistance and our commitment to the Housing Australia Future Fund – which will deliver 20,000 new social and 10,000 new affordable homes over five years – can change lives for the better.
Some of the changes are little more under the radar.
In May last year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration made the decision to reduce the maximum size of packs for various paracetamol products.
This decision was made to reduce the harm from intentional overdose, these changes will come into effect in February next year.
We are also working to tackle the ever more insidious distress drivers that are proliferating online.
One action we have taken is our recent legislation criminalising the sharing of non-consensual AI-generated sexually explicit deepfakes.
I want to congratulate the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Suicide Prevention Office for today releasing their draft ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Suicide Prevention Strategy.
This will now be out for consultation for the sector and, critically, people with lived experience to provide crucial feedback.
The draft Strategy outlines a comprehensive, long-term national approach to suicide prevention in Australia and proposes a fundamental change to the way we think and act on suicide prevention.
And through the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, our Government is working with states and territories as well as in partnership with the sector and people with lived experience to implement services to respond to suicidal distress.
This includes universal aftercare services for people discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt, trial expanded referral pathways for those who don’t go to hospital, and postvention services to support those affected by suicide.
Co-design with people with living and lived experience has been a cornerstone in informing the design, planning, delivery and evaluation of services.
Our Government is also committed to addressing the disproportionate and devastating impact of suicide on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities.
We are working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts through the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Policy Partnership as part of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Through the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program, the Government is also funding a range of activities aimed at reducing suicide deaths and suicidal behaviour across Australia.
This includes supporting mental, emotional and social wellbeing in men through Men’s Tables and MATES in Construction, building suicide prevention skills and providing specific suicide prevention resources and support for veterans and their families, such as Black Dog Institute’s Veteran’s Toolkit and Buddy Up’s community groups and events.
Just as our veterans stepped up for us, we must step up for them.
And ultimately, we must all step up for each other.
No one should feel like they’re alone.
No one should feel that life’s burdens – whatever form they take – are theirs to shoulder on their own.
We come together this morning because we will find the answers together – with our hearts open and our hands extended.
