Ms HALL (4:22 PM) —I would like to congratulate the member for Calwell for bringing this very important motion to this parliament. It is very appropriate that youth suicide should be discussed in this House because it is an issue of such magnitude affecting so many Australians and their families. Youth suicide is an epidemic that is attacking young Australians from all economic and social backgrounds. Unfortunately, to date the Howard government—for that matter, all governments and social institutions—have failed to implement initiatives to stem this tragedy, a tragedy that is taking the lives of so many young Australians, particularly young men and Indigenous Australians.

Suicide is a very sad and complex issue. Research shows that when a person takes their life they do so because they feel helpless and do not believe their situation will ever change. It is a response to intolerable pain. Isn't it sad that we have so many young people feeling such intolerable pain that they are prepared to take their own lives?

Suicide involves a complex set of interacting factors. There are biological factors such as chemical imbalances; emotional factors, which relate to sadness, stress, anxiety, guilt and coming to terms with sexuality; and social factors, which deal with acceptance and the feeling that people must be accepted by their peers, not be seen to be different and not be labelled as crazy. It is all about ensuring that their self-esteem is maintained. When that is affected and when people feel they are not part of their peer group is, problems arise. Mental illness contributes to suicide, as does substance abuse and the fact that young people are more likely to take risks than other groups in our society.

The government's adherence to the cult of the individual and the promotion of competition I believe have added to the pressure that has been put upon young people. There is a feeling that exists in this society that success is all that counts: if you are not successful, you are a failure and therefore you are useless. And if you are useless what hope have you got for the future? I believe that, unless this is addressed at the core and young people see that there is more to being a success than being the best at this or the best at that—they have such enormous pressures placed on them—we will not be looking at some of the issues that are causing this epidemic in our society.

Suicide impacts more on young men—four times more on young men than on young women. Young women are five times more likely to inflict harm upon themselves. I believe there is more suicide among young men because there is greater pressure on them to perform than there is on young women. I chased around trying to find statistics of youth suicides within my local area. I found that on the Central Coast there were 39 per 100,000 males between the age of 15 and 24, and 14 young women per 100,000 who committed suicide in 2000. In the Hunter, there were 34 young men per 100,000 and three young women per 100,000 who committed suicide in 2000. These are young people whose lives are cut short and who had so much to offer our society.

There is a lack of preventative programs. The main area that you get information is through help lines. I had a young work experience student in my office last week. She spent 10 hours ringing organisations. She had difficulty finding any sort of information. Her comment to me was, `If I had a knife or a gun and was about to kill myself, I would do it because I have become so frustrated with being unable to access the information.'

It is time for the government to act. As a nation we cannot allow this epidemic to continue. The youth of Australia is our future. Every time a young person takes his or her life we lose the opportunity to benefit and gain from their contribution to our nation. As a society we are a poorer society. Unless this government and all governments act to stop this epidemic, we as a country will be poorer. (Time expired)