Are people really that short-sighted??

Okay - so this is me. My first blog, and I actually have something to say, rather than introducing myself and telling people about my goals. That'll come later, maybe.

So what I may say may cause fights, disagreements, and complete outrage from some, but where would we be with out some healthy, heated discussions occasionally.

I am sure most of you are aware of what happened in Melbourne today, January 29th 2009.

A four-year old girl was thrown off the main bridge crossing from Melbourne city to the Western suburbs -the Westgate Bridge.

Darcy Freeman was allegedly thrown over the bridge, into the river below by her father. She died at hospital a few hours later. Her father, a 36 year old Melbourne man, has been arrested and is being charged with murder.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24978767-421,00.html

My heart goes out to her mother, brothers and her friends and family, who now have to say goodbye to her. I can not even begin to imagine the heartache and absolute agony they are now suffering through.

This has really upset me, but what has made me angry is not so much that he did this... it's an absolutely tragedy, but the fact that people are now calling for the bridge to have higher fences. It hasn't yet been 24 hours since it happened, and people are blaming the height of the fences. The Westgate Bridge is renowned for having a high number of suicide's occur off its edge, but I don't believe something like this has ever happened.

I know we don't know all the details of what has happened, and what was going in this man's mind, but I would hinder a guess that something in his head just snapped. What other possible reason would there be to throw a small child over the edge of a bridge for her to fall 58metres into a river?

My problem with the call for the fences is the following: Why do they feel the money needs to be spent on fences, when it should go into the Mental Health system, to provide support and more readily available services. To make people understand that having depression, bi-polar or any mental health issue is not a curse. It's not something to be ashamed of. Admittedly it's a hard thing to come to terms with, but once treated and explained, it can be helped.

I know people with depression and mental health issues. I can even admit that I have depression. My family has a history of it. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's something that is more common in this age than it has been for a long time. But it needs to be addressed, and not just by one or two public figures. There needs to be more done for it. I do believe that some men don't think it's manly to admit they have emotional problems, and it's far more acceptable for them to beat up on wives and children, or drink to get rid of the emotional barriers they have.

Again, I need to say this is pure conjecture on my part. But if it's the case then it needs to be brought to light.

Why is the Labour party trying to spend more money on something that is a quick fix, instead of looking at the broader picture?

Surely I can't be the only one that feels like this!

Why are people calling for the fences to be built, instead of the money being used to help people. They advertise on television here, that we need to break the circle of violence, that it's unacceptable for abuse in the home... isn't this just another part of it??

Can anything good come out of this tragic loss of Darcy Freeman's life? Can we prevent this ever happening again? Will just building fences help? Shouldn't we be focusing more on why, rather than how?