Reminding us why we need more action on mental health

Today, we mark two significant days on Australia’s mental health calendar: World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK?Day.

World Suicide Prevention Day is a time to reflect, connect and renew our shared commitment to preventing suicide and promoting hope. This year’s theme, "Changing the Narrative on Suicide," is a call to move beyond silence and stigma to openness, empathy and action, to ensure people in distress feel heard, supported, and connected. In Australia, more than 3,300 people die by suicide each year, and behind every number is a person, a family, a friend and a community with a story to share.

As part of the day, Embrace Multicultural Mental Health, part of Mental Health Australia, is sharing powerful stories from its Lived Experience Group members along with multilingual materials that support conversations about mental health and suicide prevention across Australia's diverse communities. You can download the Stakeholder Toolkit here 

R U OK?Day encourages all of us to meaningfully connect with the people around us and start conversations that can make a real difference. Taking the time to check in, listen and offer support can help break down stigma and ensure people feel heard, supported and connected.

Both of these important days are part of a bigger conversation about how we support the mental health of the community, including individuals, families, carers and kin. To keep making progress, we need a mental health system that is accessible, responsive and there when people need it.

That is why the new National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement is so important.

Unfortunately, following last Friday’s meeting of Commonwealth and State and Territory Health Ministers, there was no meaningful progress on the new Agreement. 

The Ministers’ Communique provided little certainty about the pathway forward, despite the Agreement already being extended by 12 months. We are concerned that this latest delay may have put finalisation before the 30 June 2027 deadline at risk.

That’s why this week Mental Health Australia called on governments to get mental health reform back on track. We also released new national polling that shows growing community concern about the state of mental health support and a strong expectation that governments need to do more. Read our media release here.

The polling found 

• Two in three (68%) of people believe governments should invest more in mental health support. 
• More people (41%) would rather pay more tax to fund free or low-cost mental health support than accept the current state of mental health funding (32%).
• More than two in five people (43%) say governments are handling mental health poorly.
• Two in three people (65%) believe there is a gap between the mental health support people need and what is currently available.
• Fewer than half (49%) of people believe they could afford mental health care if they needed it.

The message from the community is clear: people want action, and they expect governments to make mental health reform a priority. 

As we mark World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK?Day, let's keep the momentum going for the reforms needed to create better mental health outcomes for everyone.