Private Members’ Statement
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields) (13:15): One of the great joys in being a member of this Parliament is meeting the wonderful people in my local communities. Each person has their own story to tell, their own reflections on the history of the local area, and their own ideas on how to shape our community going forward. Each person I meet inspires me to work harder and to continue my efforts to fight for our community's fair share. I recall clearly one of my earliest conversations, and one of the most touching moments I have had, shortly after I was elected to office. A local mother spoke to me about her son's mental health challenges. She told me she felt hopeless and did not know what to do or how long it would take for her son to get better. I could clearly see the emotional pain she was feeling and the toll it was taking on her.
Yet despite all of this, the most important words she said to me were, "I just want my boy to get better." It was her only wish, the words of a loving mother whose thoughts were for her child. It was enough to move any of us; her words certainly moved me. Advocating for greater awareness of mental health and more services was important to this mother just as it is important for every person with mental illness and their family, carers and friends. It is important to me and to my community. Mental health is a genuine issue in our local area and one of the key pressing issues that are presented at my electorate office in Ingleburn. Mental health is also one of the most pressing issues for young people in our local area. With one in four young Australians at risk of serious mental illness and with suicide rates at the highest they have been in 10 years, we have to act now.
I recently hosted a Community Mental Health Forum on Young People and Anxiety in Ingleburn in direct response to a genuine community need for information on this important public health issue. The forum was held in partnership with local mental health advocate and our champion Sandra McDonald, One Door Mental Health, Headspace Campbelltown, and other local service providers. The evening was a huge success, with more than 150 people braving the cold to learn more about anxiety and to connect with local service providers. I thank all of those involved in the forum but particularly two outstanding young people, Alessandro and Bridget, for so bravely sharing their personal stories to help others and advocate for greater mental health awareness.
Alessandro spoke on the importance of acceptance—acceptance of one's self, of one's life journey and of mental health as an equally important part of one's physical health and wellbeing. Bridget spoke of the abuse she suffered as a child and how that trauma led to mental health issues. She travelled halfway across the world from Detroit to start a new life in Sydney. Bridget turned to substance and alcohol abuse to numb her pain but could not escape it. It took genuine love and connection with others and the support of mental health services to help Bridget out of the depths of her darkness. Bridget credits her family and friends, her cats and her daily poetry writing for helping her to, in her own words, "dust off her broken wings and learn to fly again".
Early intervention is key. The sooner someone experiencing mental illness seeks support, the greater the chance of their full recovery. Both Alessandro and Bridget highlighted the importance of creativity in managing their wellbeing and acknowledged the value of speaking with others who shared similar experiences. When people hear someone talking about their personal mental health journey, it opens the door for others to speak for themselves.
As our local mental health champion Sandra McDonald rightly pointed out, we must normalise conversations about mental health. We must reach a point when we feel comfortable talking about mental health around the dinner table and at every opportunity, much like we comment on our physical health. The more we talk, the more we listen the better we will be at helping others in need.
One of the key messages to come out of the forum is that we must continue the conversation. There should be more opportunities for people to connect with local health service providers and learn what support is available for people living with mental illness, their families and their friends. The journey does not end there; there is more work to be done. I truly hope that together we can create more opportunities to raise mental health awareness and continue the conversation because mental health matters. It mattered to the local mother I met, it matters to our local community and it matters to me.
