Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week was Mental Health Week. It was great to see people all around Australia acknowledging their role in looking after their own mental health and wellbeing as well as reaching out to friends and family. There is no doubt that raising awareness is only half the battle. We need positive outcomes as well.

I would like to thank the groups and people of the Petrie electorate who are doing great work, locally. They include the men from the Men's Sheds on Ridley Road, Bridgeman Downs, and Clontarf; the staff and volunteers at Headspace in Redcliffe; and the Sandgate and Bracken Ridge Action Group, SandBAG, who are doing wonderful work in the Brisbane City Council part of the Petrie electorate. Thank you to the staff and volunteers at Encircle, a local organisation that is helping to strengthen individuals and families so that they can take informed control of their lives, and also to the Breakfast Club volunteers who meet at the CWA hall in Redcliffe and provide food and support to the homeless.

Thank you all these groups for the work that you do, and the many more that provide help and make a real difference to the lives of people who are suffering from mental illness. Mental illness can affect anyone of any age, and I want those people to know that I and the government support them and that we want to acknowledge them for Mental Health Week.