SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH OF THE LONE FATHERS ASSOCIATION Inc.
"Children need their Father as much as their Mother"
LFAA National Peak Body
|
|
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH OF THE LONE FATHERS ASSOCIATION Inc."Children need their Father as much as their Mother"LFAA National Peak Body |
|
MEDIA RELEASE
In this election campaign both Mr Howard and Mr Latham have talked about our national security and winning the war on terrorism. Yet the war on the terror of men's suicide remains a war yet to be fought by either political party.
Professor Ian Webster, chair of the National Council on Suicide Prevention says that suicide is under-reported by as much as 25%. This means that over the course of the six week election campaign, Australia has suffered the equivalent of three Bali bombings. This horrific and needless loss of life comes upon us by stealth. Over a year, this is the equivalent of the Bali Bombing every two weeks, or the loss of two whole battalions of infantry.
Eric Trezise of the Suicide Safety Network says, 'If I, as a commander-in-chief, lost 1200 men of my battalion in a military campaign, I would be called to account for my bad leadership, or hauled over the coals for believing the wrong intelligence'. Men's suicide is a national catastrophe of epic proportions and the time has come for urgent action.
Warwick Marsh of the National Fatherhood Coalition said today, 'Studies show that 70% of men's suicide is related to relationship breakdown. Men's suicide has shown a dramatic increase since the introduction of the Family Law Act in 1975 and the subsequent Child Support Agency (CSA) in the late 1980s. The shocking increase in men's suicide has been in men in the prime fathering age of 25 to 45. Many experts believe that over half of the men's suicides reported have a direct link to the injustice of the Family Law Court and Child Support Agency. It has been claimed that at least three clients of the CSA suicide each day. This is confirmed in the recent PIR Report.
Barry Williams, head of the Lone Father's Association says, 'Howard has promised to win the war on terror, but he is losing the war on suicide at home, and our children are paying the price. Mr Howard and Mr Latham are missing in action on the home front. Australian fathers are losing their lives due to political inaction. How much longer must our children wait'?
Warwick Marsh: 0418 225212 02 4272 6677 Berkeley, NSW
Barry Williams: 0417 668 802 02 6258 4216 Canberra, ACT
Eric Trezise: 02 4363 1111 0429 436 311 Gosford, NSW
217 Nolan St,
Berkeley NSW 2506
www.fatherhoodcoalition.org.au