Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want Australians to know about a Darwin local, Michael Torres, who was honoured at the national counsellors conference in Adelaide, where he received not one but two national awards. Michael was named Indigenous counsellor of the year and Counsellor of the Year 2025 by the Australian Counselling Association, which represents more than 20,000 practitioners across the country. Michael has worked in counselling and healing spaces for over two decades, including at the Darwin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Shelter and through his work with the Indigenous Men's Healing Shed. His work focuses on trauma informed care, cultural sensitivity and mental health advocacy for Indigenous men and First Nations people in general.

Michael's story shows the power of community based healing and the importance of culturally grounded services that reflect and respect the people that we serve. Michael shows us that true excellence in counselling lies in lived in experience, deep care and long-term commitment to others. I congratulate Michael for this well deserved national recognition and thank him for his lasting contribution to the health and wellbeing of our entire community.

And, obviously, after Tropical Cyclone Fina over the weekend and the last couple of days, I give a big shout-out to everyone there helping others through difficult times.