Construction Industry Suicide Prevention

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on any government investment in suicide prevention initiatives targeted at men and the construction industry?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:50): I thank the member for Giles for this very important question. I note both the member for Giles's interest, and so many other members of parliament, and I particularly highlight the member for Elder as the Premier's Advocate for Suicide prevention in their interests in terms of doing everything that we possibly can to combat suicide, prevent suicide and help people's mental health and wellbeing across the state.

The sad truth is that 190 construction workers die by suicide in Australia each year—that's one every second day across the country. They are eight times more likely to die by suicide than from a workplace accident. Young construction workers are two times more likely to die by suicide than other young Australian men. Of course, each suicide affects so many people. Up to 135 people for each suicide is estimated, and men are less likely than women to access mental health services.

We know that there is an amazing organisation in this state that provides dedicated suicide prevention work for construction workers, and that's MATES in Construction. For many years, they have piloted and developed and rolled out absolutely well-targeted programs that speak to those construction workers in their own language and make sure that we are training up other construction workers to help their colleagues and help prevent suicide.

Previously, many years ago, they received an amount of government funding that was through the industrial wing of government in the order of $50,000 per year. That was funding that continued for many years. Unfortunately, that was cut under the previous government. It was something we were particularly concerned about at the time, and raised our concerns, and we promised to restore that when we came back to government. We have delivered on that, and of course that money has been restored.

The Hon. B.I. Boyer interjecting:

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: Yes, it was cut.

The Hon. B.I. Boyer: Who cut that?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: The previous Marshall government cut that funding. We know, of course, that MATES in Construction can reach even more people. So not only have we restored that funding that was cut by the Liberals but now we have made a commitment to go even further. Just in the past week or so, we had a big MATES in Construction event that was joined by the member for Elder, the Deputy Premier, the member for Wright and also, of course, by the Premier when the Premier announced that we are investing additional funding in MATES in Construction. Through Preventive Health SA, we have now committed $389,000 in additional funding across this and next financial year, and this will enable them to roll out the blueprint for a better mental health and suicide prevention program.

This is an industry-led peer based program: mates supporting mates, colleagues supporting colleagues. It's going to build mental health and suicide prevention into their workplace cultures across these industries, address alcohol and drug use as a contributor to distress, promote early intervention, stigma reduction and help-seeking. It will help them to fund a new full-time liaison officer, and it's already being rolled out at a number of major works across the government. A number of the construction peak bodies that we have spoken to are highly supportive of this, as are union members, in terms of what this means and what this is delivering on the ground.

This comes on top of that funding that we have already committed—some $60,000 a year—which is going to allow MATES in Construction to reach more people, help more people and prevent suicide happening in construction workplaces, which sadly affects and ripples right through the community, which is obviously such a traumatic event for so many people involved.