Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 13 September, was R U OK? Day. Now in its 10th year, R U OK? Day aims to nurture social responsibility and belonging by encouraging people to meaningfully connect with others by simply asking: 'Are you okay?' The four simple steps—ask, listen, encourage action and check in—can make a difference to someone who may be struggling. It's such a simple message—a simple gesture that costs us nothing, yet, when we ask someone if they are okay, the difference it can make to a person who's feeling overwhelmed can be life changing. Well done, therefore, to the R U OK? Conversation Convoy that began its journey of raising awareness on 30 July, traversing 14,000 kilometres and 25 communities before reaching Sydney on 13 September.

In my electorate, I am proud to have so many people and organisations who make it their business to promote R U OK? Day by holding a number of events on the day, thus ensuring that, as a community, we are working together to promote mental health and wellbeing and to reduce the stigma of suicide and mental health. This year, throughout all of last week, Northern Health, a health service provider with many locations in my electorate, including Broadmeadows Hospital and Craigieburn pharmacy, held a week of conversations on mental wellness as part of their psychological wellbeing strategy. Northern Health does a great job of recognising and representing the objectives of R U OK? Day. It has adopted a psychological wellbeing strategy as an initiative to protect the mental health of its staff, promote wellbeing and intervene to address mental health concerns. Its many events, including talks from guest speakers, fundraising events, yoga sessions and pastoral care sessions, held all across the Northern Health centres, involved a guest speaker last Monday who discussed the impact of suicide on families and communities, talking from personal experience and looking at how discussion can lead to empowerment of others. Guest speakers from beyondblue and Treat health care were also on hand to begin conversations about mental health among families, friends and work colleagues. The local TAFE, Kangan Institute, holds R U OK? Day events every year for staff and students on their campuses.

I want to give a big shout-out this morning to my young constituent Puneet Gulati, who is the founder and managing director of One World Family Inc. Puneet has a distinguished list of commendations, ranging from Hume Young Citizen of the Year 2015, White Ribbon Ambassador, Bully Zero Australia Foundation Ambassador, AFL Multicultural Community Ambassador 2015-16 and regional adviser for North West Metropolitan Melbourne on the Victorian Multicultural Commission. These are all well-deserved recognition of the tremendous level of volunteer work he does in promoting the need to be aware and to support people in our community who live in adversity.

Puneet came to Australia from his native India in 2007 and initially lived alone, like thousands of other migrants, as he would say. But one thing he learnt in that time is: 'Living alone and feeling alone are two different scenarios.' Adapting to life in a new country was challenging, but a serious car accident which left him very badly injured compounded the depression he had already been suffering from. It was the support of his family and friends that helped him turn his life around. He has wanted to give back to community by reciprocating the support he has received. Puneet said:

I wanted to do something that empowers people, the world has plenty of discouragers but we need more Encouragers for a peaceful and meaningful life.

Puneet Gulati epitomises what R U OK? is all about, and he profoundly believes, 'Our little gestures can change, really change, the way someone is feeling'.

I had the pleasure of seeing a video clip Puneet recently produced. Its message is simple: We should never give up on our friends. It's okay to fail at times. We can be a survivor throughout it if we choose to live life on the positive side. Puneet, who is now studying acting at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, uses his many artistic talents to help convey important messages and, as he says, to:

… name and shame bullying and harassment, educate each other by talking about mental health ... we may sometimes feel that we can never do enough but what matters is that we don't stop.

It's very important that we take comfort from people like Puneet Gulati and others, who give their time to help other people, to ask if people are okay and then to follow through and make sure they actually are okay.

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