Australia. You're standing in it!

This Part 1 of a multi–part article.

Some Facts About Australia

The Happy Country           

“How could anyone be depressed when they have Sydney harbour to play on?”

This was said by a director of a major bank, gazing out from his 41^st floor view of the harbour on a glistening January morning.

This same director refused to believe that Australia has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of anti-depressants in the world.

He also refused to accept that we have the largest attempted suicide rates amongst teenagers.

He lived in Wahroonga and drove his 600 SEL Mercedes to his kids’ private school and to the yacht club and golf.

He would not believe that 20% of our under-18’s have a serious depressive episode requiring treatment.

Nor that the suicide rate for young Australian males has doubled in the last 15 years.

We see boys who are feeling the pressure of life, to perform in a job, career, relationships, at school, with money, amongst their peers, at their wits end.

Last year approx nearly 2,000 Australians committed suicide, and whilst this figure has fallen since the late 90’s, over three quarters were males, and suicide is the largest killer of young males aged between 20-34 years – higher than car accidents.

The Lucky Country

"We set ourselves this first goal: by 1990 no Australian child will be living in poverty," Bob Hawke, 1987

4.5 million Australians (22% of the pop.) live under the Henderson poverty line.

Nearly half the population has poor or very poor literacy skills… they experience difficulty reading labels and normal signage.

As for Children…

… a child born in 2010 will live 3 years longer on average than one born 2000

…a child born in 2010 will be considerably more well-educated and qualified than one born in 2000

…a child born in 2010 will be 4 IQ points ahead of a child born in 2000.

…this year there will be about 250,00 reports of child abuse compared with 73,000 in 2000. That’s a 342% increase in child abuse in ten years.