Today in Parliament, Abigail passed a motion commending MATES in Construction for their Fly the Flag initiative, which encourages construction workers to look out for one another in an industry with some of the highest suicide rates in Australia.
Abigail's motion said:
I move:
(1) That this House notes that:
- despite improvements over past years, the construction industry still has amongst the highest suicide rates of any industry in Australia;
- construction workers are nine times more likely to die by suicide than through a workplace accident;
- male construction workers are nearly twice as likely to take their own lives as other employed Australian men of the same age;
- MATES in Construction is an industry-based but workplace-focused independent charity supporting workers and workplaces in the construction, mining, energy and manufacturing industries across Australia and New Zealand, creating networks of suicide safety across Australian workplaces by training and supporting workers to look after each other and offer help;
- each year thousands of Australian workers are supported through a tough time by their workmates using skills learnt in MATES training or through MATES field officers, case managers and a 24/7 helpline;
- Beyond Blue has noted there is often a stigma in male-dominated industries, especially construction, that discourages vulnerability, while also noting the unique pressures of the industry that play a major role undermining workers' mental health, including long working hours, unsociable working hours, physical demands of the job, job insecurity and financial stress; and
- apprentices are at even greater risk of suicide, partly because they experience bullying at higher rates, particularly in the very hierarchical cultures of the construction industry.
(2) That this House further notes that:
- Wednesday 10 September 2025 was World Suicide Prevention Day;
- Fly the Flag Week is an initiative led by MATES in Construction, running this year from 8 to 12 September 2025, helping to normalise seeking help and reducing stigma around workplace mental health and suicide in the construction sectors; and
- it is the workplace, not the workers, that causes mental harm, high rates of suicide and mental ill health driven by poor workplace cultures and lack of support.
(3) That this House:
- congratulates MATES in Construction for its "Fly the Flag" initiative and encourages workers across Australia to participate and to take a moment to check in with each other;
- welcomes the Minister for Work Health and Safety's decision to convene a round table with building industry trade unions including the CFMEU, industry bodies, FoundoBlue House and MATES in Construction and other experts with respect to psychosocial harms in the workplace, to address the increase in psychosocial risk in construction for construction workers; and
- recognises the vital importance of providing ongoing support to prevent workplace mental ill health and suicide, enforcement of compliance with workplace safety laws and prosecution of those employers who do the wrong thing, and of delivering adequate levels of compensation and assistance to those who suffer a psychological injury in the workplace to assist injured workers to recover safely.
Motion agreed to.
Read the transcript in Hansard here.
21 October 2025