Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment, I rise to support the chair, the member for Kingston, in the comments she has just made to the House about our inquiry into mental health and workforce participation. We have already received a substantial number of submissions and had some hearing days. I think there is an increasing understanding, both in society and in parliament, about the impact that mental illness is having on the society as a whole and on individuals. We must put more resources in Australia into this area, but we also must find new ways to address these issues. One of the things we know is that, the longer people are out of the workforce, the more disconnected they become from society in general. I was given to reflect in this place only a couple of weeks ago that the greatest act of welfare we can do for anyone in this society is to give them a job, because we know that, if they have a job, the likelihood of better outcomes in the rest of their life is much higher. There is a higher likelihood that their children will receive better education and a better diet and that they will be better engaged in society. All these things come with the self-respect and the freedom that a job provides us with.

The fact that someone is sick and suffering from a mental illness does not necessarily mean they are permanently incapacitated and should be put aside from the workforce, although in some cases this is undoubtedly the case. Some of the evidence we have received already underlines the fact that if we could actually get people into work their mental health would become easier to manage and maintain. To do that, we need an understanding in the workforce from employers who are looking to make a workplace that is more accommodating for people and allows them to deal with these issues. We took evidence only two weeks ago from someone talking about a work program where they were offering people two days work a week but it could be in four-hour blocks, so you might elect to come in for two days at the start the week or two days at the end or you might elect to do four mornings or a couple of mornings and a couple of afternoons. We really need to foster that kind of flexibility in the workplace.

I hope we are going to find a bit of that in our inquiry as we move around Australia. The chair was very keen that we should make an attempt to visit the electorates of all the members of the committee. Because we know our own patches and we know the contacts to make, this is a good way of getting a cross-section of Australia. As I just said when I was speaking on the previous correspondence from the committee, as the only member of the committee who represents rural and regional Australia I will be very pleased to have the committee in Whyalla in two weeks time, because, as difficult as dealing with mental health is anywhere, all these things become more difficult in the country, where you are further removed from the bulk of services. Whyalla is quite a substantial city of 22,000 or 23,000 people. I have towns whose populations are only two or three people. The concept of delivering mental health and care services into communities that small is quite foreign to much of Australia, but I believe it is my role to try to bring a bit of that to the committee. I look forward to the inquiry. (Time expired)

See this speech in context