Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about a great organisation in my electorate, the Adelaide Footy League, which basically covers the Amateur Football League in South Australia. Over the last year I have had the absolute pleasure to be in contact with their community liaison Officer, Dee Shepard, from the Adelaide Footy League. Dee came to my office to inform me about the Adelaide Footy League's pilot Mental Health First Aid program, which aims to address the problems their clubs face around this growing issue. If you think of amateur footy teams in and around the electorate, it is a great opportunity where young men are gathered together. Sometimes men, unlike other people in our community, are less likely to speak out if they are feeling depressed or facing problems. Dee came to me with a great concept which I thought was fantastic—that is, the Adelaide Footy League's Mental Health First Aid program, which would incorporate a mental health first-aid course that mirrors other successful and longstanding first aid programs.

The organisation believes, as I do, that it will give its participants of the program real-life tools to use to identify, consult and, most importantly, follow through on mental health in their sporting clubs, families and friends. The idea is to have one or two people in each club, whether they are trainers or volunteers, to be identified as mental health first-aid offices. They'll pick up on the signs of mental health or depression—all those things that cause mental health among the players. For a long time I, too, have been concerned about mental health growing at the rate it has. As such, I have taken a very keen interest in the Adelaide Footy League's proposal. Dee Shepard from the Adelaide Footy League had a very well-thought-out and specific plan to address mental health issues in their clubs, whose members range from young players right through to club members, volunteers and their family members. That's why I was extremely pleased I was able to secure $20,000 through the Stronger Communities grants for the Adelaide Footy League, who with this money will be able to fund approximately 60 club members to participate in the Mental Health First Aid program. These club members will be from every club associated with the Adelaide Footy League. The 60 club members who will participate in this program will become mental health first-aiders and leaders in mental health, where they can deliver social benefits to the broader community and assist in removing the stigma surrounding mental health. It's programs like these that will empower communities and equip trained mental health first-aiders with the knowledge and confidence to recognise, connect with and respond to someone experiencing a mental health problem, or who may be in crisis but may not wish to speak to anyone unless someone approaches them.

Mental health, suicide and suicide prevention are topics we need to get better at talking about. Despite increasing expenditure on mental health services, Australia has yet to see a meaningful decrease in the number of lives lost to suicide in over two decades. I am proud to be part of a government committed to actively shifting their approach to mental health and suicide prevention to one of proactive prevention through fostering and protecting wellbeing and strengthening communities. This is a program that does exactly that. I am proud to be a part of a government who are not scared to discuss and identify the changes that need to be made in this space. We are talking about a whole-of-life approach to suicide prevention and a whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention policy.

As I said, it's a great concept. Every club will have a couple of people trained up who will be able to identify the signs of mental health issues and will be able to approach the players, volunteers or trainers to have a discussion with them and then lead them onto different services that may assist them.

That's why I was very pleased to write to our Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention explaining this program to her as well. I'm hoping that we may be able to get the minister to come down to Adelaide and visit the Adelaide Footy League and hear more about this concept, because it is a great idea.