Tonight I want to speak about men’s mental health, because our men are in trouble, and we need each other.
We love and appreciate the women in our lives. But as men, we also need to look after ourselves, and we need to look after one another.
I intend to speak plainly tonight, and honestly, because this issue demands it.
This is not abstract. It’s real. Late last year, far too many men in Northern Tasmania died by suicide. The impact on their families and communities – we’ve seen it – it has been profound, it has affected so many. For many tradies and people in business in our region, the pain has been compounded by repeated tragedies within the same peer groups and social circles.
This is very real. It is life and death.
It affects our mates, our brothers, our fathers, our sons – and the bloke standing next to us.
Please listen carefully to these statistics.
In 2024, 31 people died on our roads. Tragedies.
In the same year, 81 Tasmanians died by suicide. Fifty-nine were men. Twenty-two were women. Every one of those lives matter.
Both figures represent tragedy. But that comparison is very confronting.
Thirty-one road deaths. Eighty-one suicides. Around three quarters are men.
This is one of the leading causes of death for men in their younger and middle years. I believe we need to let that sink in.
This is not a fringe issue. Noone is saying that it is. It is a crisis.
More than half of Australian men say they have experienced mental health challenges. Yet us men are less likely than women to reach out and ask for help. Only a minority say they would reach out to a professional, and many say they would not seek help from anyone at all.
Why is that?
I personally believe there are several reasons, but for me one does stand out. We do not want to burden others, especially those we feel responsible for and we feel it’s our job to protect. We want to carry the burden for others, for the people we love, not lighten our load back the other way.
But that instinct, while an awesome quality of good men, can also be dangerous.
No man truly wants to end his life. I know that, I believe that. But I also believe that he wants to end the pain. And when that pain feels relentless, silence can take hold.
So what do we do?
I believe we bring this issue out of the shadows. We listen. We take men’s struggles seriously, and we create chances for honest conversation. A chance where a man can say, “I’m not okay,” without feeling like he has failed. Or even failed twice.
Because when that happens, things do shift.
When a man speaks, and a mate looks him in the eye and says, “I understand,” or even, “me too,” he is no longer alone. Some of the weight lifts.
I believe that is where hope can begin, with a real conversation.
And that is why the work of Spoke to a Bloke matters so much.
It was born from loss — from the death of a mate, Nick Dunn, who felt he had no one to talk to. What began as a simple walk in his memory between a few mates has grown into something far greater. From four men, to six, to now thousands walking together last month.
It is not about experts or programs and there is an important role for those. It is about mateship, having real conversations that are natural and genuine.
I want to especially acknowledge Jamie Campbell and his wife Nerida, together with their daughters Brit, Georgia and Laura, volunteers and supporters, for bringing Spoke to a Bloke to our local community in Launceston.
Jamie wants me to thank others, the co-founders Matt, Paul and Scott and their amazing team for giving Jamie the opportunity to become an ambassador for this great organisation. Jamie also thanks every bloke who walked including Richie, Peter, and Matt.
I joined that walk, along with about 35 others, in the early morning darkness. The conversations that we had along the way are ones I really will carry with me for life. I walked for Matthew.
Speak to a bloke.
Check in on your mates.
Start the conversation. Make it a real conversation.
And please, be the bloke who is willing to be real in return.
Congratulations to Jamie and your colleagues and all the team at Spoke to a Bloke.
