Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to one of Newcastle's most dedicated health professionals, Jaelea Skehan. Jaelea is a director of the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, a registered psychologist and a conjoint teaching fellow at the University of Newcastle's School of Medicine. She was recently recognised as one of Australia's 100 Women of Influence for 2014, alongside a range of other outstanding women including overall Woman of Influence 2014, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.

Jaelea was recognised for her work in the fields of suicide prevention and the prevention of mental ill-health. She is an international leader in her field and has been a driving force in the development and success of the national Mindframe initiative that encourages responsible, accurate and sensitive coverage of suicide issues by the media.

I recently had the pleasure of joining Jaelea at two Mental Health Month events in Newcastle: the HIMH and Headspace's annual Youth Rockin' the Black Dog music competition that helps raise awareness of youth mental health issues, and at a community breakfast to launch the start of a two-day program on digital innovation and mental health as part of the annual Design Interactive and Green Tech festival in Newcastle

Jaelea is a highly valued member of the Newcastle and Hunter community. She is indeed a woman of influence, and I congratulate her for her contribution and leadership in helping to prevent mental illness.