THE Liberal member for Hornsby, Matt Kean, has used his inaugural speech to call on the government to spend as much money advertising suicide prevention strategies as it does on road safety campaigns.
In his address, Mr Kean recalled the loss of his 18-year-old Young Liberal colleague, Mike Powell, three weeks ago.
Mr Powell had left the Shore school last year and was about to begin a traineeship at PriceWaterhouseCoopers - the same career path followed by Mr Kean after leaving St Ignatius' College, Riverview. ''He shone with all the brightness of a future star,'' Mr Kean told the NSW Parliament.
Advertisement: Story continues below The loss and the suicide of two St Ignatius students during his time there has compelled Mr Kean to call for the government to fund a $10 million annual advertising campaign on suicide prevention. He said, this year, more Australians will die from suicide than in road accidents.
''It is great we are going to build the north-west rail link. And it is great we are going to cut hospital waiting times,'' Mr Kean said of the NSW government.
''But it will not mean a great deal if we still live in a society where we are unable to stop a friend, a brother, a sister, a son or daughter from feeling like they have no other option available to them but to take their own life.''
Mr Kean will be joined by the former NSW Liberal leader and Lifeline patron, John Brogden, to call for funding today. ''There is much debate about how we talk about suicide - particularly in the media,'' he said. ''There is no debate that we are better talking about it, than ignoring it.''
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