Save Aussie Men campaign straight to Canberra
Save Aussie Men, AMHF’s campaign calling on the Morrison Government to tackle men’s suicide head on, is soon to close.
We’ve gathering close to 200 letters of support to send to Canberra with our plea that the Government take a gendered approach to suicide prevention.
With 75% of deaths from suicide being male in Australia, or 7 in 9 according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, we're pushing hard for a change in policy.
The majority of suicide prevention services the Government funds are shown largely to address female suicide risk factors.
Suicide prevention strategies in Australia don't take into account the differences between men's and women's experiences of suicide.
They don’t account for the fact that male suicides are more often linked to relationship problems, money issues, job loss and alcohol abuse.
The government’s own National Suicide Prevention Advisor, Christine Morgan, agrees with us. Last year her chief recommendation to Scott Morrison was for a far-reaching and properly-funded men’s action plan aimed at preventing male suicide.
The messages of support AMHF solicited for SAM are heartfelt. The sentiment is clear: everyone who penned a letter to Scott Morrison has a deep-seated desire for change. Several write painfully from personal experience.
“What I find so hard to handle is the terrible, awful loneliness of those last few years after Ben lost his job, and the fact he felt he was a failure,” writes one mother.
“I hate that Ben, who gave so much to his family, his work , his friends, must have felt so terribly, terribly isolated and alone when he left this world.”
And this, from a friend of a man he will never see again.
“Dear PM. Please support our Aussie blokes. We lost another dear soul to Male suicide yesterday. Our gorgeous 69 year old mate. A beautiful, gifted musician gone forever.”
Our sincere gratitude to everyone who has taken time to send a message to Save Aussie Men. If you haven’t done so yet, the door is still open.
Step inside and help us make change happen.