$1.4m boost for men's suicide prevention (but working age men not included)
Beneficiaries include a number of specialist men's organisations: The Man Walk Australia, The Men’s Table, Mentoring Men, Top Blokes Foundation, Babana Aboriginal Men's Group, Walk it Off Australia, Men's Sheds in the the Hunter New England and Central Coast region and talk2mebro.
The projects funded have a focus on priority populations with the bulk of the funding (approximately $1.1m) allocated to projects working Aboriginal men, older men, boys and young men, older men and men living in rural and remote areas. Other priority populations of men receiving smaller grants include men with disabilities, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse men, veterans and GBTQ+ men.
Men of prime working age (25-64 years old) who account for 70% of male suicides in New South Wales are not a focus of the funding.
Suicide kills two men a day in New South Wales, with men accounting for 4 in 5 suicides in 2023 (when there were 673 male suicides and 174 female suicides). In terms of men age 25-64, there are around 9 male suicides a week in NSW, with men in this age range accounting for 472 suicides in 2023.
The grants will support local mentoring and peer support groups, forums and BBQs, and activities like walking groups, coffee meetups and yarning circles for men across the state to promote men’s mental health, wellbeing and resilience with an aim to reduce suicide rates in NSW.
Men's suicide rates deeply concerning
Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said: “Men are disproportionately impacted by suicide and account for more than three quarters of suicide deaths in NSW. This is deeply concerning, and we are continuing to engage with men and men’s mental health experts to see how we can bring these rates down. We know some men can be reluctant to engage with traditional mental health services, so these grants were designed to help grassroots organisations provide tailored support for men in the community.
“The funding was originally announced following the Men’s Mental Health Forum held in NSW Parliament in August 2024. Due to the number of excellent applications received, we have substantially increased this funding to support more of these organisations.
“Community mental health care is fundamental as we work to address the drivers of distress and provide local solutions for at-risk men across NSW, making sure they can reach out for help when needed.”
Australian Men's Health Forum CEO Glen Poole said: “We commend the NSW Government for this investment in grassroots initiatives focused on men’s mental health and suicide prevention. It’s great to see such a diversity of projects funded, many of which are run by our member organisations.