Mates in Construction | Motion
03/12/2014
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Very briefly, Dignity for Disability supports the Hon. Mr Dawkins’ motion and congratulates MATES in Construction for their valuable contribution to mental health awareness and worker safety.
I had the great privilege of meeting with some representatives from MATES in Construction a month or so ago and was immediately struck by not only their passion and their dedication to the cause but the depth of the knowledge they hold about suicide and mental health more broadly and the varied programs they have set up to make these sorts of discussions and important measures more accessible to people.
I think something we miss out on sometimes in the community is people learning how to have that conversation with someone, to ask about what is going on, to recognise the signs of someone who might be at risk of depression, anxiety or suicide or some other factor, so it is really pleasing to see that work being carried out, particularly in the industry of construction, where it tends to be a bit of a blokey set-up where we do not imagine those kinds of workers to be the most emotional people or forthcoming with their feelings.
That does not mean that they do not feel, and that is why it is really important that we do expose those stereotypes as being false and give everyone the opportunity to be honest about what they are going through, not only to help themselves but, hopefully, to help others by showing that you can be open about what you are going through, whether that is depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety and so on. I was very impressed by the work MATES in Construction is carrying out in this area and look forward to working with them again, hopefully very soon.
The factors which surround increased risk of suicide are many and varied, as we all know, and the impact on the lives of workmates, family and friends can last a lifetime. Knowing the risk factors and being able to talk openly about mental health in a proactive way is extremely important. Dignity for Disability is also aware that attempted suicide can result in lifelong disability, and this also has ramifications for individuals and their families, friends and colleagues.
Although by no means an exhaustive list, some of the risk factors for suicide and attempted suicide can include alcohol abuse, family history of alcoholism and drugs, depression, drug abuse, personality disorders, severe impairment in physical health, same-sex attraction, recent psychiatric symptoms, previous suicidal events or ideation, history of violent behaviour, recent loss of someone close, job problems, low self-esteem, history of family violence, low family support or lack of family support, family conflict, feelings of isolation and loneliness, suicidal threats or suicidal attempts by family and friends, and easy access to weapons.
I mention these things not to put the people in the situations I have just mentioned on a particular pedestal or to suggest that the minute you are in this situation of perhaps having alcohol abuse or any of the other factors I have just mentioned then that means you are a definite candidate for suicidal ideation. I am mentioning these many and varied aspects that can affect a person’s mental health purely to show how varied they are. I think a number of them are things we are all likely to go through in our lives.
Changes of employment or changes in family and relationships—these are all things that we can be affected by and probably will be affected by at some point in our lifetime. That is why it is very important that we do prepare ourselves to guide ourselves through those situations when we come to them, but also to be there for someone that we care about if they are facing a situation like one of those that I have just listed.
As a community, we do need to pay more attention to our own mental health and that of those around us. Those conversations can be difficult; they are certainly not easy, but when we compare them to the potentially lifelong devastating effects of losing a friend, losing a family member or losing a workmate, and perhaps always questioning what we might have been able to do for that person had we picked up those signs earlier or had we been better aware of how to hold those conversations, when we compare the short-lived discomfort of actually having that conversation to the ramifications of not having it, it certainly makes this kind of awareness and those kinds of conversations a lot easier and very worthwhile.
Dignity for Disability wish MATES in Construction all the very best with this important work in preventing suicide and promoting overall mental health and wellbeing in the construction industry. I commend the motion to the chamber.
