Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Families are important, and the relationship of fathers with their sons is sometimes the most underestimated and undervalued bond. I speak about this today because of a conversation I had last week with a good friend of mine, Glenn Mitchell. For those in the House that do not know Glenn, he is a passionate mental health and suicide awareness advocate due to his own life experiences. Glenn used to be a regular voice on Perth ABC radio and TV as a sports commentator.

Glenn was telling me that he has made a pact with his young son, a pact that every Thursday morning before school, every week, they will go and have breakfast together at their local cafe—just the two of them. They can talk about anything at all—bullies at school, homework, relationships, sport, anything, and it will happen for as long as his son wants to. It could be 10 years from now, 30 years from now or could continue every week for the rest of their lives.

Open communication between fathers and sons is incredibly important and it is a bond that we all must work at. Glenn's initiative is one of many that fathers employ to connect with their sons, and today I want to encourage all fathers in this House and across Hasluck to make an effort to connect on a personal level with their sons, to make the time, start the conversation and talk. Talk about anything. It could be about what you got up to today, how the Dockers thumped Richmond in the footy over the weekend, about a trip away that you want to take together or even about a recent movie you have watched.

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