Youth Mental Health

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:29): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment a question regarding mental illness in young unemployed people.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: The founder and former chairman of beyondblue, the Hon. Jeff Kennett, has recently raised concerns around the mental health of young people in regional areas due to high unemployment rates, particularly in non-metropolitan Australia. It has long been discussed that the increasing rates of unemployment or underemployment are leading to rising levels of depression and anxiety in youth, particularly for males.

Additionally, the Royal Flying Doctor Service recently released its findings that showed country people are twice as likely to die by suicide than city dwellers and are far less likely to seek help. In addition, of course, I am well aware of the pressure on mental health and suicide prevention community organisations in metropolitan areas with high levels of youth unemployment. Given this, my questions to the minister are:

1. Has the minister discussed the issue of high youth unemployment and the relationship that has with mental illness issues with the Minister for Mental Health?

2. Has the minister's department made a submission to the development of the 2017-20 Suicide Prevention Strategy?

3. Has the minister's department had contact with the large number of suicide prevention networks which exist in areas of high youth unemployment in regional areas and the northern suburbs?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:31): I thank the honourable member for his question and thank him for his advocacy in this area. I have said before that I don't think there is anyone who has been a more consistent, passionate and strong advocate on the issue of suicide prevention than the Hon. John Dawkins. I thank him for his question, his very genuine interest and his advocacy in this area.

It absolutely is the case that for many people unemployment is a very big factor in terms of a person's mental health. For many people, much of their identity is tied up in what they do professionally, and certainly when circumstances change, it can have drastic impacts on a person's mental health, and I think the honourable member referred to that. I know he is well aware of the effects, particularly in more isolated communities in regional Australia and how more pronounced that can be. I don't think there would be many people in this chamber who haven't known someone, or a family of someone, who has been affected by suicide at some stage.

In relation to the Department of State Development's involvement in mental health strategies, particularly as they pertain to people who are either unemployed or have lost employment, I will have to check if the Department of State Development and the area that deals with employment has had interaction with the health department in programs that have been formulated, but I am most happy to do that and bring back an answer—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: Particularly for suicide prevention strategies.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —for the honourable member.