Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Raise Our Voice campaign amplifies the powerful voices of young Australians within the chambers of parliament. Today I'll be using my voice on behalf of Kristen Kantzipas. Kristen is a young Victorian concerned about the rising rates of depression among young Australians. Here are her words:

I'm thirteen—Another notification on my phone.

I tried my hardest to ignore it, but being a phone-obsessed teenager, of course I checked it.

But thank goodness I did. It was one of my close friends.

She had sent me the longest paragraph I have ever seen over text message.

As I read through it, I was shocked.

She was telling me about how lost she felt in life and how she didn't know where to go.

It confused me for a while, because she always seemed so happy around me and my group.

But from what I had read in one conversation, it was clear to see she wasn't.

1 in 4 people under the age of 20 suffer from depression.

My idea to prevent this is for the government to set up free hubs around Australia. A hub for all teenagers to go to when they are feeling stressed or depressed.

Let's help our teenagers be happier, enhance their wellbeing, so Australia can be a safe place to all.

Those are her words, and I am proud to have helped raise Kristen's voice today, because her words shed a light on an invisible battle that affects countless young Australians. I hope Kristen continues to use her voice to fight for what she believes in and to help create a better Australia. Thank you, Kristen.