Men's Health
 

Mr President, this morning I inform members about some Tasmanian grassroots community organisations that are working to address the growing rates of male suicide in Tasmania.  As many will know, men account for three out of four suicides in Australia.  In Tasmania, men now account for four out of five suicides.  These organisations are unfunded, volunteer, grassroots organisations run by men, for men and have been established in response to the lack of services that support men in the way men want and need to be supported.

 

Man Up Tasmania works to create mental health awareness and support among men in the north-west of Tasmania.  Greg Smith, a full-time carer for his mother and convenor of Men Care Too, volunteers a lot of his own time to create spaces for men to meet in his local community around Ulverstone, hosting Man Walks and Mr Perfect barbecues.  North-west dads and TasDads create online connections between new fathers in Tasmania, and also facilitate face-to-face activities such as Dadventures. 

 

The Men's Table is the latest initiative to find its way into Tasmania.  This organisation coordinates regular opportunities in Hobart, Burnie and Launceston for men to meet, have a meal, and support each other through intentional conversations.  TasMen has been running annual men's gatherings on the March long weekends for 25 years, and also supports the development of community groups across the state.  Men's Sheds are a well-known institution supported in small part through minor grants and government funding for their association.  Men's Resources Tasmania is a volunteer-led organisation that has been in operation since 2015.  They create support and resources for men, such as Blokes' Book, and more recently the Dads’ Book.  They also coordinate and host various events, most notably the 24/7 male suicide vigil which took place on Parliament House lawns in July 2021, where more than 60 people gathered to acknowledge that seven men suicide in Australia every 24 hours.

 

Members will recently have received a copy of a report on male suicide in Tasmania, Time to Act on Male Suicide in Tasmania.  This report has been co-produced by Men's Resources Tasmania and the Australian Men's Health Forum, the nationally funded peak body in Australia for men's health.  This report outlines some alarming facts, including an increase in male suicide in Tasmania over the last decade and highlights the urgent need for us to do things differently.

 

I am pleased to inform members that many of these community groups are meeting tomorrow to discuss how they can work more effectively to address male suicide in Tasmania and to respond to the issues raised in the report.  Of particular concern in my reading of the report is that up to four out of five recipients of many mainstream suicide prevention services in Tasmania are for women. 

 

It is wonderful that our services do such a great job supporting women who find themselves contemplating or attempting suicide.  Clearly though, with four out five suicides in our state being men, more needs to be done to address the specific issue of male suicide.  A funding partnership announced in May between the Australian federal government and the Tasmanian Government will see $55 million go to services that are more than likely to reach the women.  National advice from Suicide Prevention Australia in the form of a government suicide prevention adviser has called on all governments to target policy and funding to address male suicide.

 

As we speak, the Tasmanian Government is finalising the next Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy.  The draft strategy released recently acknowledges the overwhelming burden experienced by men but fails to compel services to take more serious action to address male suicide.  I congratulate those who have contributed to the draft strategy that includes the actions to develop a community action plan to better reach and support men; and to create and deliver training on working with and engaging men.

 

However, I am concerned that the draft strategy fails to provide direction to the sector to address male suicide more specifically.  Strategies such as those being developed to address suicide in Tasmania are about identifying a clear direction so that taxpayer-funded suicide prevention services clearly understand where their priorities and attention need to be placed.

 

This parliament should recommend that the new Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy must make a clear call for a focus on male suicide and that the strategy should be supported by funding the currently unfunded men's sector.  These actions will ensure that the goodwill clearly presented in the grassroots community organisations I have mentioned today can lead to more positive outcomes for our brothers, fathers, husbands, sons and mates, as well as the women in our lives.