Craig LizDr LIZ CRAIG (Labour): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'd like to start just by acknowledging the Cross-Party Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing Group whose work has led to the report that we're debating today and in particular some of the founding members that have spoken in the debate including Matt Doocey Louisa Wall Chlöe Swarbrick and also Jenny Marcroft the former member who is with us today. I'd like to also acknowledge all of those whose lives have been affected by suicide but also acknowledge those who are working in the community at the moment to look after those who are in distress so whether it be friends whānau those working in the community or our mental health services.I think our suicide rates as we've heard today are unacceptably high and this report along with Every Life Matters which is our country's suicide prevention strategy and action plan signals that every life does matter and that all of us have a role to play in working towards a future where there is no suicide. But I think thinking about how we achieve this the factors that are underpinning our country's high suicide rates are complex and action across all of society is going to be required.I think looking back in terms of the work I've been involved with in public health and thinking of the success of some of the other initiatives that have tried to grapple with complex issues—things like sudden unexpected infant death syndrome and a large number of preventable deaths from road traffic accidents—and thinking about what some of those key elements were that led to their success a lot of the issues are still with us but what we've seen is reductions over many years. I think one of the key elements is leadership making sure that we've got that leadership at the top—and that's not only at the political level.I think what we've seen today in terms of the level of cross-party support for suicide prevention suggests that we do have that commitment across this Parliament but I think also at the operational level because when we need to work together across sectors to address these issues we need that leadership coming for the coordination from the top. But I think we also need a plan and that plan needs to not only be evidence-based and based on research but also based on drawing on the knowledge of those with lived experience and having them contribute to the way forward. I think we also need a strong resilient workforce and to think about making sure we've got a workforce and people positioned to provide support in the community in our GP practices across hospitals and specialist services—making sure we've got the workforce there.I think we also need to address the broader determinants of health and that's not just reducing the huge impact that financial stress and other stresses have on people but also making sure that people are resilient and they're connected within their community. That means for example young people having training and opportunities. It means families being able to have enough money so their children can go to school camp and they can participate in sport. It means people turning up to work and having a safe workplace and knowing that when they want to work hard they can get ahead. It also means having access to quality housing.So there's a lot of things underpinning that and I think the thing is: where have we got to so far? Just talking about some of the things we have put in place in terms of leadership I'm pleased to see the cross-party support we've got here in our Parliament today. Also thinking through at the operational level the Suicide Prevention Office was established and has been working since 2019 to coordinate all of the suicide prevention work across the sector. Also we have Every Life Matters which is the suicide prevention strategy and action plan and we're thinking through how that charts the blueprint for action across the sectors as we move forward. But I also think it's about workforce development because it's really important that we've got that skilled workforce there to deliver the support we need.So basically in our region we've seen and many people have been benefiting from these new health improvement practitioners that are based in primary care to provide support for people and also expansions in terms of youth counselling and ongoing support as well in terms of telehealth services—that's extra funding into Youthline and also Need to Talk? 1737. So there's a lot of things that we need to do but I'd just like to acknowledge that I'm pleased to be part of a Parliament that's happy to step up and say we're happy to work together. We're happy. There's much more to be done but we're moving forward to make sure that we've got a country where we've got a future free of suicide. Thank you.