Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 1 to 7 September 2024 marks Men's Shed Week led by the Australian Men's Shed Association, with this year's theme, 'Send him down to the Shed'; and

(b) the theme acknowledges that most men are introduced to a Men's Shed by someone else, and reconnects men with community;

(2) recognises:

(a) the essential service the Men's Sheds provide nationally as one of Australia's largest community development organisations with around 1,300 Men's Sheds across Australia and over 50,000 Australians participating in Men's Sheds; and

(b) that participation in Men's Sheds leads to improved mental health outcomes, with participants reporting increased self-esteem, awareness and destigmatisation of mental health, and fosters community spirit and mateship which are key to the foundations of our nation; and

(3) reiterates:

(a) the Government's ongoing support for the Australian Men's Shed Association and commitment in the 2024-25 budget to provide $6 million over two years to support Men's Sheds; and

(b) that this provides funding for health and wellbeing events, shed improvements, tools and equipment and automated external defibrillators.

Last week was Men's Shed Week 2024, and the theme for this year's Men's Shed Week was 'send him down to the shed'. It is a message shed members across the country are hoping to be heard throughout their local communities to encourage more men to get involved and join their local shed. You don't have to have a trade or know certain skills to join a men's shed. It's not all about woodworking and welding. While these skills can be drivers of activity in shed life, so many members are there just for the social interaction, for a cuppa and a chat and some much-needed company.

Retiring can be a huge change in a man's life. There is a risk of loneliness and social isolation which can cause anxiety and depression. The loss of a partner is another life event that can isolate a man where they need the support of others. Sheds provide a wealth of opportunity for men seeking interaction and community connection. In the 2024-25 budget, the Australian Men's Shed Association was provided with $6 million over two years to continue to support men's sheds across the country, deliver the National Shed Development Program and support the regional coordinators program.

For more than 30 years, men's sheds have been improving the wellbeing and health of men by providing them with a shared community that they can contribute to and be supported by. In McEwen, we are spoiled with so many men's sheds that are committed to providing a place that promotes mental health and wellbeing as well as driving a strong connection with local communities. Last week, I took the opportunity to speak to quite a few of them.

The Kilmore men's shed is a great example. They have teamed up with a Melbourne university study that has been funded to provide dementia and Alzheimer's patients in a Kilmore high care facility with the possession of a trolley. The trolley allows them to have close by their beds items, trinkets and photos that reassure them in times of awareness of their memory loss. The members of the Kilmore District Men's Shed are looking forward to working on this project and, shortly, to seeing the outcome.

The Romsey Men's Shed have been working on the restoration of a 1925 Model T Ford gifted to the shed by local businessman Doug Newnham. This vehicle was sold new in Gisborne, originally. With the generous help of the Bendigo Community Bank, Romsey members are diligently working on its refurbishment, with the vehicle to be used for community events. This project has shown the depth of skills and knowledge at the local shed, from trade skills, such as mechanics, joinery and bodywork, right through to historical research.

The Woodend Men's Shed is a hive of activity and a shed that is proactive and forward thinking. In a drive to raise funds for their proposed new shed facility, they have sourced donated offcut timber from the neighbouring Black Forest Saw Mill. They've chopped it up as kindling and are selling bags of it at the local hardware stores. Open fires are a popular heating source in the Macedon Ranges. These kindling bags are inexpensive, and the Woodend shed receives a portion of the proceeds, with all the funds going towards their facility. This shed has tapped a community need to help them continue to be a driver for community connection.

Then there's the Whittlesea Men's Shed, a powerhouse example of connecting local community. In 2022 the principal of Arthurs Creek Primary School spoke to his grade 6s about a project they could leave at school at the end of their primary years. The kids came up with the idea of a buddy bench, a place where kids who feel alone can take a seat and other kids, seeing they need a friend, can stop and check in with them. The principal took their idea to the Rotary Club of Whittlesea, who approached the men's shed to make the bench. The rest, as they say, is history. The project is encouraging social connection at a grassroots level, in school playgrounds, and showing how community organisations can come together and work to bond communities. This is an excellent idea that has now been implemented in more local schools across the community.

I also look forward to more men's sheds taking the Whittlesea approach of looking to expand and create women's sheds, as the benefits can help members of our community. The men's sheds out in McEwen, like those in Diamond Creek, Hurstbridge and St Andrews, continue to work very hard in supporting their communities and supporting people who live alone in those areas. As I said, it's not all about woodwork and metalwork. There's a whole range of things that can happen in all the men's sheds, right across the community, including at Lancefield, where they work with the local primary school kids, teaching them basic skills in using hammers and bits of wood to create and build something.

To the men's sheds of McEwan and right across the nation, we thank you for the important work you do in ensuring social connection and supporting men's health and wellbeing. Now is as good a time as any to say, 'Send him down to the shed.'

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