Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take this opportunity to do a mini wrap-up of an extraordinary year in my community. Firstly, I was so proud to be returned as Lindsay's local representative in the Australian parliament. I know I say it often, but it's my view that I have the best job in the world, and I thank the community of Lindsay for their continued trust in me. I've also been quite humbled to undertake my new role as the shadow assistant minister for mental health and suicide prevention, and I will work hard to ensure that Australians have access to life-saving services.

It was an honour, earlier in the year, to be at the 2022 Penrith Relay For Life at Penrith Paceway and walk with our local cancer survivors, with families of those whose loved ones have been lost to this terrible disease, and with other members of our community. I give a big shout-out to all the volunteers for their energy and passion to create awareness and their fundraising. In addition, there is Pink Up Penrith, where we raise further funds for the McGrath Foundation breast care nurses, and take a boat trip with the Pendragons Abreast women, who have survived breast cancer. There are so many wonderful people in my community doing extraordinary work in the volunteer space.

The flooding has been hitting my community really hard—some people have lost pretty much everything four times. I advocated for stronger support for my community, including being included in disaster relief payments and raising issues around power outages due to the floods and the cumulative mental health impacts these events are having on the same people over and over again.

I was honoured to join our community at St Marys RSL to remember the over 60,000 brave men and women who served in the Vietnam War. The St Marys Vietnam Veterans' Outpost has a special place in my heart, and we spend as much time there as we can each year supporting our local veterans and they have become really good friends as well.

In September we watched on and said a final goodbye to our beloved Queen Elizabeth II, a 70-year era over. It was such a moving time. Planting Queen's jubilee trees last week in our local community and seeing the kids really excited about participating in that was really wonderful.

Also something that stays in my mind is the Nepean police medals being awarded to some of our most dedicated police officers. The room was full of truly remarkable achievements and the outstanding service and stories of those who have gone above and beyond to keep us safe. It was wonderful to see so many families, who really take the weight of these careers in the police force.

I want to wish my community, if I don't get to stand again, a very merry Christmas, and I hope you get to enjoy some beautiful time with your families this year.