We acknowledge the grave and persistent issue of suicide among Australian men, who are
overrepresented in national suicide statistics. Evidence has shown suicide does not discriminate, and
it is a common myth that suicide only affects a small subsection of individuals with a diagnosed
mental health condition (National Alliance on Mental Ilness, 2020). In fact, any person in the wrong
circumstances can be at risk of suicide and the scale of the challenge is indeed much larger than
most of us think.
We also express caution at the narrow gender framing of this inquiry, which risks an exclusionary and
limited approach to suicide prevention. First Nations youth, women, transgender and non-binary
people also experience suicide risk at alarming rates. An effective suicide prevention approach must
acknowledge and respond to this complexity.
We stress that suicide is not a single-issue phenomenon – it is systemic, intersectional, and deeply
affected by social determinants, trauma, and access to compassionate support. The community
requires that the Government act now with the initiatives that will deliver timely high-impact results
to reduce the number of people at risk of suicide and the number of communities at risk of
bereavement from suicide.