Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm glad we clarified what a conservative is. This October marks National Mental Health Month with the campaign being of particular importance during a pandemic which has placed a significant strain on mental health. Many people in Mackellar have sought to help others throughout lockdown, recognising the needs of vulnerable community members and volunteering to help them in various ways.

One person making a big difference is Avalon local Jason Partington who is the founder of the Making Meditation Mainstream organisation. Jason started the organisation after attending a free event for men which encouraged them to open up about mental health. The high number of participants led Jason to realise he could use his expertise in meditation to help communities which have increasingly faced escalating suicide rates and mental health challenges. With 22 years of meditation experience under his belt, Jason began sharing his knowledge about the benefits of meditation, hoping to help those struggling with depression, anxiety and loneliness.

Jason began the Meditation for Men course which provides an opportunity for men to discuss mental health and learn how to easily incorporate meditation into their daily schedules. When the course started in early 2018, it involved 10 men and has since grown into the hundreds. It has also reached beyond the Northern Beaches with locations in Newcastle and elsewhere along the east coast.

Jason also founded the Making Meditation Mainstream movement, which forms groups on beaches to participate in a free 20-minute meditation. It now consists of 20 groups and has gone global, with one group in the UK and another in Switzerland—Switzerland, of course, being famous for its beaches!

After the success of 28 for TWENTY EIGHT in 2020, Partington and his team ran the initiative again in 2021. It encouraged participants to meditate for 10 minutes each day over the first 28 days of October. Throughout the past year, organisations such as Lifeline have recorded a massive 25 per cent increase in support calls. Participants of 28 for TWENTY EIGHT will pledge $28 to support Lifeline, which is the same amount it costs Lifeline to answer a call from someone in need. It is fantastic to see community members such as Jason Partington going the extra mile and utilising their skills to equip others with the tools to tackle mental health issues.

I encourage members of Mackellar, the greatest community in Australia, to support the 28 for TWENTY EIGHT initiative this month, and continue to think about ways to support vulnerable members of the community who face particular challenges at this time.