Mr BYRNE (9:46 PM) —I find it an interesting evening to be discussing Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2000-2001. Whilst I will be addressing some concerns in the bill, I want to turn my attention this evening to a matter that was discussed in the House during the condolence motion today and to its ramifications for the Australian community. I did have a speech prepared on this matter that would probably be more reflective of the flavour of these sorts of debates but, frankly, I felt that today was not the day to make a contribution of that nature, particularly given the bipartisan nature of the debate that occurred on the condolence motion.

I would like to start my contribution with respect to this particular matter by mentioning Greg's family—Maria and their two children. On behalf of my constituents in Holt and the ALP branch members in Holt, many of whom knew Greg and his family, I would like to pass on my deepest condolences to Maria, the children, his mother and his sister. One thing I certainly took note of from the condolence debate is the issue of depression—an area that I worked in for a number of years prior to my coming into parliament. Another issue that was raised was the bipartisan nature of parliament and how it is portrayed in the media.

On the night I was notified that Greg had passed away, I addressed a series of three Rotary groups, and for about 25 minutes we discussed the tragic situation and their perception of political debate in this country. They were concerned also about the image of politicians and believed that there should be more bipartisanship. I said to them that I thought there was a fair amount of that—obviously not as much as there may have been in previous times. It is an issue that lurks beneath the surface, but I would like to assure particularly the members of the Rotary club whom I addressed on 14 June that today was an example of the bipartisanship that exists within the process. I am certainly hopeful that today makes this place a better place to work, for both sides, and that we put aside, particularly on matters of national significance, political advantage and that we concentrate on what people have put us in this place for—to serve the national interest. I am sure most of us do that.

I would like to talk about depression. Depression is one of the greatest silent killers in our community. As I turfed my previous speech, I was looking for figures on the costs to the community of depression and associated disorders like anxiety. The cost quite stunned me. In the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 1999 it was estimated that the cost in American dollars of anxiety and depressive disorders was $42.3 billion—that is $1,542 per person. In proportional terms, for Australia that is roughly $9.4 billion. That is a significant economic cost to the community—not just the human tragedy and other costs—of $9.4 billion.

I have just received a later figure. In 1998, it was $US63.1 billion. So we are talking in Australian per capita terms of over $10 billion of economic cost that is caused to the community as a consequence of anxiety disorders and depressive disorders which are in most cases comorbid. That is a significant cost to the community. I think that not enough debate, particularly with respect to the people who formulate health policy in this country, and in more general terms in this place, has been focused on just how much of an economic burden is borne by the community as a consequence of this particular disorder.

If anything comes out of what occurred today, and there should be constructive action taken with respect to that, it is that we should be focusing on this. We should be focusing on the detection of depression, the early intervention and the ongoing monitoring of depression, because these are serious disorders within our community. It is a disorder that is like a mental cancer that eats away at our community. And it continues virtually unabated, notwithstanding the very large amount that is prescribed with respect to tranquillisers and antidepressants. It is becoming an area of critical concern. It is an area that governments have to take a very serious look at, re-evaluate, and take some steps on.

I am hoping that something that comes out of this particular condolence motion is a bipartisan commitment, the same sort of bipartisan commitment that was demonstrated in the condolence motion, to actually make a difference, to actually initiate more meaningful, more well-structured, more well-resourced programs within the community to actually attack this particular area.

It is interesting that 20 per cent of the adult population experience a mental health disorder in any given year. That is one fifth of our population. Given its prevalence within our community it is amazing that there is still such community ignorance and stigma about this particular issue. Of those 20 per cent, a number of them are substance abuse disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. The major mental disorder within that 20 per cent group is depression. So we have a massive problem that exists like an iceberg lying just beneath the surface. As I said, depression is the largest area of mental health concern in this country at this time. And the depression manifests itself in substance abuse. It also manifests itself, for example, when receiving treatments for cancers, et cetera, and for schizophrenia sufferers it can actually prevent those people from actually receiving their treatment.

But it is becoming a growing area, as I said before. The World Health Organisation estimates that in the year 2020 it will be the largest cause of disability on the disability adjusted life scale in terms of quality of life, working days lost and morbidity in the health area, which is just an amazing concern. It is something that governments of both persuasions need to address as a matter of priority. I know that this government, particularly in this budget, has initiated a five-year, $17.5 million depression initiative, and I certainly welcome that. There is also a $39.2 million National Suicide Prevention Strategy for the years 1999 and 2003. That is also a good thing. There has been a National Mental Health Strategy between the years of 1993 and 1998 where we spent $169 million, and there is going to be a continuation of that National Mental Health Strategy between 1998 and 2003.

But the fact is that, given some of the economic figures that I have mentioned, and notwithstanding the tragic loss of life that should not occur within this community, we should be spending more on resources. We should be targeting community awareness treatment programs, intervention programs and awareness campaigns. It is something we should be focusing on as a major priority in any government, and it is something that lies beneath the surface and something we need to address.

The fact is that this area has been brought to people's attention before. The Burdekin report, which was released in 1993 when Burdekin was Commissioner of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, did trigger some sort of movement towards awareness of the stigma of mental health and psychiatric disorders. It is a starting point that occurred seven years ago, but we have not completed that or even really seriously addressed this issue.

I am certainly hoping that something good can come from the tragedy that has occurred, that we can at least start some serious dialogue between the government and the opposition towards actually initiating a more concrete program—a better resourced program that targets people in need and that breaks down the stigma that exists. Having worked in the area of mental health for two years, as I did, particularly in the area of anxiety and associated depressive disorders, the stigma associated with it is just incredible. That stigma prevents people from talking about their problems. It prevents people from discussing how they feel, and that is a very important starting point. One of the critical things about depression in particular is that it is very difficult at the tertiary stage of depression, when that person is screwed down into that black hole, to pull out of the very severe downward spiral, regardless of the kindness of the people involved or even, to some extent, the medical interventions. In many cases, unless the person receives medication and prolonged psychiatric treatment, they have a very small chance of being rehabilitated and will commit suicide.

We have seen a series of tragic instances of that, more recently reflected in the loss of our colleague. I urge governments to address this as a serious issue of concern and not to pay lip-service to it. We are going to be judged in the next couple of years as to how serious we are about this commitment. As I said, in the spirit of bipartisanship I would urge the government to take my comments on board and hopefully something good can come out of this terrible tragedy