Page 3715 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 November 2022
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I cannot forget driving up his driveway and seeing his wrist bandaged and soaked
in blood.
Maybe things have improved, though; that was some time ago. But from what I see, at least, the difference is just in the age of the men that I see struggling—those that I see in front of me. The most recent time suicide impacted someone close to me, it was a father—a man who had lost his daughter and his marriage and had lost hope. He took his life by hanging, and that pain will never go away. In fact, one of his friends shortly thereafter took his own life. So let me clear, suicide is not only a man’s problem. It is not only a men’s health issue—it never was—but when you look at the numbers you see that men take their lives at a far higher rate than women, and when they make a suicide attempt, they do it in ways that tend to be far more effective and far more permanent.
The reality of men’s health is that many of us, me included, are terrible when it comes to looking for help. Many of us avoid engaging with the health and mental health systems. We find any reason—cost, convenience or how the receptionist looked at us last time we were there—to avoid turning up to the doctor or mental health supports. For some, the greatest barrier can be that we just do not feel that it is a place designed for us.
At the heart of it, that is the change I want to see. Surely, we can send a message to men and boys that our health and mental health systems are for them, that we accept them for who they are, and acknowledge that what they need might be different. And that is what I saw at the heart of Ms Castley’s motion—a message to men and boys that they matter, and that the Assembly would back them by supporting better, more appropriate services and supports for the challenges they face. The minister’s message through this amendment, and through her speech, is the opposite, so I do implore the Assembly to reject the minister’s amendment and instead vote for Ms Castley’s original motion, because we cannot afford to keep losing good men and boys because they lose hope.
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (3.49): I wish to support our shadow minister for families, youth and community services, Ms Castley, in her motion. This is another opportunity for me to advocate for improved support and awareness of men’s health in the ACT, as I have been doing for many years now. With the recent passing of International Men’s Day last Saturday, this is a great time to talk about men’s health; yet we should not limit these talks to awareness days. Conversations about men’s health should be ongoing throughout the year.
Supporting this motion and men’s health is definitely not based on a conservative outlook, as the Minister for Health suggested earlier. That was a shameful and insulting remark. Men’s health matters on all sides of politics, and if she cannot see that then the Minister for Health is a danger, in her role, to all men and to all Canberrans. It is my firm belief that when we support the wellbeing of men in our community, we strengthen the rest of our community—women; children; the elderly; people with disabilities; those who are of diverse gender, faith or culture, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; any combination of the above, and more.
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