Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the great opportunity and privilege to be invited to visit the Victor Harbor Men's Shed. Men's sheds are wonderful community organisations that provide men of all ages the chance to work together, to talk together and to share in the bonds of support and mateship. In my electorate of Mayo, we are lucky to have many vibrant and successful men's sheds, including Mount Barker, Aldgate, Mount Pleasant, Strathalbyn, and Yankalilla and Districts. Kingscote, on Kangaroo Island, will soon have its own men's shed.

In the age of the quick, digital friendship status on Facebook, one great irony often overlooked is that developing real friendships and meaningful connections between people takes time and requires shared effort. I think for many this is becoming harder to do. Men's sheds offer a face-to-face venue and an opportunity for mateship and shared projects. It is a place where knowledge can be shared, stories can be shared and valuable skills can be transferred.

Indeed, at the Victor Harbor Men's Shed I heard of stories about younger men who were getting their first foot in the door with learning a trade, and about the more experienced men in the shed who had skills to share from trades and businesses, and about many men who had retired. Men's sheds also do great work in promoting mental health and wellbeing. It is a sad reality that men over 65 have the highest incidence of suicide in our community, and this statistic tragically only gets worse as men get older, especially if they have lost a partner or live alone. Men's sheds play a brilliant and highly successful role in keeping these men connected to their wider community, but especially with other men who can understand some of the challenges they may be facing.

Victor Harbor Men's Shed is currently in the process of relocating to bigger premises and are seeking support with their plans of expansion. The new premises will allow the shed, with many more tools and more equipment, to operate three days a week rather than just one day a week, which is what is happening at the moment. It will provide facilities that other community groups can use, such as TAFE and women's groups. I will be liaising with government to seek support for their relocation and expansion plans. I also encourage anyone out there who might be listening, or who might be reading this, to get in touch with me if they wish to support this worthy endeavour.

I want to end by sending my heartfelt thanks to the men's shed at Victor Harbor for inviting me to sit down with them and to meet with them and for letting me touch all of their power tools, and to all of the men's sheds across Mayo for all of the work that you do in our community. I look forward to working with and supporting you and men's sheds over the coming years.