Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On R U OK? Day, I want to give a shout out to all those who suffer or have suffered with mental health issues and to their families and friends. The daily rituals of living—the getting up and getting going—are taken for granted by those who've never known the torment, the struggle, of anxiety or depression or the countless other debilitating conditions, whether situational or ongoing. To those who know the struggle, because they live days where their bed is their only safe place, and to those who love and care for them and are often left painfully aware of the trauma but are unable to be of immediate assistance, today is about recognising that your pain is known to many and that there is help available, even if on some days it feels like there isn't.

Today is an important day to acknowledge the legitimacy of the pain and to encourage people to start the conversations with those suffering and those we suspect are suffering. R U OK? is about asking the real question and listening to the real answers. It is a reminder to all of us to take the time to stop and listen and to check in on those we love or care for. In this place, it is a day to remind us that when we shape policy we need to remember the numbers suffering and the difficulties they might have in interactions on any given day or for whatever period they suffer.

I want also to say to families of those suffering: are you okay? Because you too need support and to be part of a conversation as we all work together to build systems that support rather than punish.

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