Minister for Men on cards for SA
SA’s Health Minister says the state government will “look closely” at introducing a Minister for Men – with the Premier showing “a keen interest”.
Newly appointed Health Minister Blair Boyer has told InDaily that a dedicated Minister for Men was something the government would “look closely at”, with Premier Peter Malinauskas reportedly keen on the role to particularly address mental health issues.
“I’ve certainly got a strong desire, and it’s something I’ve already discussed with the Premier to have a focus on during my time as Health Minister,” Boyer said.
“So much of the data (around mental health) we collect shows the over representation of men and young men, and that tells you all you need to know about what we need to do more of as a government. The facts speak for themselves.
“I think we’re starting to see it’s something that needs its own attention and own specific focus, but also because it is something I’ve seen up close growing up on a family farm and in the country.”
His comments follow the Labor Victorian government appointing Paul Edbrooke as its first Minister for Men and Boys on Wednesday last week.
When Boyer was asked if he would be keen to take on the role, he said “I’ll leave that for the Premier to comment on, I know that he’s got a pretty keen interest on this himself”.
According to data from the South Australian Suicide Prevention Plan, suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44 years, with men up to four times more likely to commit suicide than women.
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Last week, men’s mental health again was in the headlines after Adelaide Crows captain Jordan Dawson’s brother Jaryd died in Robe, Boyer acknowledging that regional, rural and remote communities in SA recorded higher suicide rates than metropolitan Adelaide.
Primary Producers SA independent chair Professor Simon Maddocks said “sustained economic and environmental pressure” around the recent drought and current financial uncertainty had caused an “inevitable” impact on the mental wellbeing of primary producers in the regions.
“The term ‘resilience’ is often used in this context, but many producers feel it misses the mark. It can imply a lack of capacity, when in reality farmers are highly skilled at managing risk and constant change,” Maddocks said.
“What we are seeing is not a failure of personal resilience, but the cumulative and compounding impact of sustained pressures over time.”
Boyer, who grew up on his family farm near Portland in Victoria, said he was committed to tackling the mental health issues facing men, women and children in rural and regional communities.
“For a lot of people in regional areas, they’d go to the footy on Saturday to watch the team play, or watch their kids play, and that might be the only time they really talk to anyone about anything that’s happening in their lives,” he said.
“Add on top of that those issues around drought, which can have a devastating effect on regional communities, and they sometimes feel totally alone and isolated.”
Boyer said his tenure as Education Minister had been an eye-opener to the mental health struggles facing both primary and high school aged boys and girls.
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“I think my four years as Education Minister and seeing what’s playing out in our schools with our young people up close has opened my eyes and put me in a good position to really get stuck in as the Minister for Health,” he said.
“As Education Minister, I heard lots of stories about suicidal ideation in primary age children, which is a horrible thing to think of.
“Things like anxiety are at epidemic levels amongst young people, and we are now at the point where kids that young are thinking about taking their own lives.”
Concerns over online trends and “manosphere” culture influencing school-aged boys and young men was also raised by the new Health Minister.
“I cannot overstate how concerned I have been about that trend in my time in the state government cabinet room,” he said.
“It really worried me because we heard increased concerns, particularly from female staff at schools, about the way they were being treated by young men who were mimicking and imitating behaviour they had picked up on from the manosphere.”
The state government has opened a new 12-bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at the Flinders Medical Centre’s Margaret Tobin Centre, aimed at reducing the strain on emergency departments.
The additional beds increase the total numbers at Margaret Tobin Centre from 38 to 50 and is part of a $498 million joint investment with the federal government to deliver 160 extra beds across Flinders and the Repat Health Precinct to strengthen mental health care for South Australians.
The Labor government has also committed to building dedicated Mental Health Assessment Units at emergency departments at the Royal Adelaide, Noarlunga and Lyell McEwin Hospitals to assist people experiencing a mental health, drug or alcohol crisis.
“Poor mental health is absolutely no doubt putting extreme pressures on our health system,” Boyer said.
“What it’s about for us as a government is ensuring we build more capacity in the system, not just in metropolitan areas, but regional areas so there is somewhere to get help and there is help available at all different levels.”
The Premier was asked about the new role but did not respond by deadline.
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