Mr LINDSAY (3:41 PM) —First of all, I would like to correct an error in part (1) of the member for Calwell's motion. In 2000, 338 young people took their own lives, not 2,363. By making this correction, I am not by any means suggesting that the true figure is not very serious indeed, simply that we must not exaggerate just to get a point across. The youth suicide statistics speak for themselves. They do not need to be beaten up to cause community outrage and concern. From my area of Townsville and Thuringowa, I certainly know exactly the problem related to youth suicide. It was only last Friday that I was speaking to one of our prominent funeral directors, who outlined in very clear and concise terms the difficulty that he sees each week and each year and the effect that it has on those of the family who are left behind.

The statistics from 2000 are the most recent statistics we have and, in that year, as I have mentioned, 338 young people took their own life. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds in Australia, behind motor vehicle accidents. This figure was 6.9 per cent of the total suicide figure of 2,363, representing approximately 12.5 deaths per 100,000 in this age group. This is slightly higher than the overall number of deaths from suicide per capita, which was just a little lower, at 12.2 per 100,000, but—and this is wonderful news—it is a decrease from a peak of 510 in 1997. These figures do not indicate that youth suicides are spiralling out of control, as some people would have us believe. What they do indicate, however, is that we are facing a very grave challenge to ensure that these figures continue to remain on the downward trend.

I am not going to dwell on statistics here today, but there are some useful statistics that provide an overview of the situation Australia finds itself in with regard to suicide. Young men are three times more likely to complete suicide than young women. Over the past decade, six times as many young men from rural and remote regions have completed suicide, as have young women from the same areas. Indigenous people are more likely to suicide than non-Indigenous people. Eighty-six per cent of suicides in Indigenous communities are male. I certainly know that from my own experience, having the deed of grant in trust island, Palm Island, in Halifax Bay, in my electorate. Fortunately, as with the national trend, the number of suicides on Palm Island has been considerably reduced.

The overwhelming theme of these statistics is that our young men, who are at the greatest risk of suicide, should be considered—something that the federal government is well aware of and is actively seeking to address. The statistic that really hits home for me is that for every suicide death there are 40 to 50 suicide attempts. That means that for those 338 young people who took their own lives in 2000 almost another 20,000 attempted to do so. I am not trying to sensationalise these figures or sensationalise suicide—far from it. By the same token, I am not suggesting that the figures are continuing to worsen—they are not. I am simply highlighting the precipice we are teetering on where youth suicide is concerned. I acknowledge the challenge we face, and so does the federal government. A lot of hard work, a lot of heartache and a lot of determination from families, friends, health workers and governments has led to a steady decrease in the number of youth suicides in Australia. As I have already stated, in 2000, 338 young Australians took their lives. That was 42 less than the year before and 172 less than the highest figure of 510 in 1997. We are still a long way from winning the battle, but perhaps this suggests that we are beginning to get on the front foot.

As the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs stated in his speech at the National Conference of Suicide Prevention in June this year, `one suicide is one suicide too many'. The federal government will not rest until the battle is won. Another thing I would like to draw from the minister's address at the conference, and something I have mentioned here, is the importance of not sensationalising suicide and suicide statistics. While we need to raise the profile of suicide prevention, we have to make sure we raise the profile of the reality of suicide rather than the sensation of suicide. We have to walk a fine line between presenting the community with the facts and realities of suicide to help them combat it and beating the facts out of proportion so as to ensure it gets the attention it requires or deserves.

Having a child commit suicide is a devastating event for parents and other family members. Compounding this grief is the taboo still associated with suicide and the sense of shame, guilt or blame that so many families feel. This self-recrimination by parents, siblings or friends can continue indefinitely after a suicide, and prevents the normal healing process taking place. At a time when family members should be coming together to share their grief, they are being torn further apart with feelings of guilt, shame and hurt. The only way to prevent this is to teach our young that suicide is not the answer to their problems and that support is only ever a question away. They have to know that there is always someone who will talk to them to help them find solutions to their problems. Whether it be a family member, a friend, a youth worker or a counselling telephone line, someone is always there.

One of the things I have learnt from talking to local community groups and churches is that the feeling that suicide should not be talked about is a direct causal factor in not only the suicides themselves but also the confusion and self-recrimination felt by family members who have lost a loved one. We have to remove this reluctance to discuss suicide. One of the biggest myths about suicide is that talking about suicide will lead to suicide. That was a point made by the member for Calwell. It is patently untrue. Indeed, it would appear to be quite the opposite. One of the most effective ways to prevent a suicide is to get the person contemplating taking their life to talk about what they are going through and why they feel life is no longer worth living.

In Townsville, Lifeline receives about 700 calls a month—65 per cent are from females, 23 per cent are from males and in the remaining 10 per cent there has been no determination of the sex of the caller. These percentages are almost the direct reverse of the percentages of males and females who commit suicide. I find that interesting. Based on the 2000 figures, approximately 78 per cent of young people who commit suicide are male and 22 per cent are female. I think it is fair to draw the conclusion from this that the reluctance of young men to ask for help or to discuss their problems is a big factor in the fact that they are four times more likely than young women to complete a suicide attempt. This is something we need to combat if we are going to make further inroads into reducing youth suicide. Young people, men especially, need to feel that it is okay to talk to someone about their feelings; that it is okay to turn to someone for support. That person does not have to be a parent. It can be a friend, a teacher or a youth worker—basically, anyone they feel comfortable with.

The federal government has spent a great deal of time with stakeholders in formulating its suicide prevention strategies to ensure that they take into account not just the need to show young people that suicide is not an option but the need to educate them, their parents and their families on how to deal with depression, how to communicate effectively and how to deal with issues such as substance abuse. Last Friday, the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator the Hon. Kay Patterson, announced another $550,000 for 12 projects as part of the federal government's $66.4 million National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The strategy grew out of the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy, and I was very pleased to see that result.

The Youth Roundtable has also been working closely with the federal government and providing highly valuable insights into the issues facing young Australians. In the short moment I have left to me, I would like to conclude with a quote from a Youth Roundtable member's executive summary. Rebecca Ebert states:

Let me assure you, Rebecca, that this government does endorse youth suicide prevention strategies, and it does recognise that one strategy alone will not be sufficient. (Time expired)