Ricky Muir (Victoria, Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would just like to quickly thank Senator Hanson-Young for giving up her timeslot for me to read my thoughts into Hansard. I am about to read an extract from a speech I recently made in relation to important social issues such as marriage equality and mental health. I apologise to those who have already heard it, but I think it is important for me to put my views on the record here in parliament permanently, forever.

Recently, I had a meeting with a Victorian constituent, Amber, from ReachOut. This meeting was essentially in relation to the spread of the drug ice, how it is affecting local communities and how to prevent the spread of this drug that destroys so many lives. Quickly, from there, the meeting progressed into a broader discussion covering mental health issues and the services that traditionally had not been available but which now are—although a lot of people are not aware of them.

We put a lot of effort into looking for a cure for mental health issues, but it seems that sometimes the cure could be found by allowing people to know that it is normal to experience different emotions and that it is normal to be different, and to know that you are not alone and that there is help ready and waiting if you chose to seek it and that it is definitely not something to feel ashamed of.

It is said that the No. 1 cause of death for people under 24 years of age is suicide. This is a completely alarming statistic and leads me to the question of what can be done to prevent so many young people taking their lives every year. While I do not have the answer, I encourage everybody in this great chamber to consider this question and to start conversations about it.

I think a good starting point is for us to acknowledge that everybody is different, that we all like different things, that we all have different tastes and that we all lead totally different lifestyles. We need to become more aware and accepting of this and learn to not pass judgement so quickly, to embrace each other's differences and to be respectful of them. An issue that is prominent at the moment is this issue of marriage equality. I have heard both sides of the story and read many emails and articles in relation to it. I understand that everybody has a different view and I am respectful of that. Beyond Blue has recently revealed that rural same-sex couples are six times more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. For me, especially being a rural person, this greatly concerns me as I honestly believe that a life in the most remote corner of our great country is just as important as a life anywhere else.

Marriage equality is an issue that seems to arise around election cycles, and it would seem that the hopes, aspirations and wellbeing of many Australians are used for political point-scoring. This, alone, was the very reason I have actually kept my views in relation to marriage equality quiet until now. The next election is set for a bit later in 2016, but you just never know around this place. Instead of waiting for an election cycle and using this issue to gather votes rather than outcomes, I thought it would be better to come out with my views now. On Wednesday, 10 June, I attended a mental health information night hosted by ReachOut.com in the rural town of Heyfield in Gippsland, Victoria. On that night, I publicly declared my position on marriage equality and put my view on the record. It was an interesting place to put my view on the record, being a rural town. I did not know if five people or 200 people were going to turn up or if I was going to be presented with protesters. But I thought the issue was that important that I was happy to put my view on the record there.

It is said that country people are not yet ready for this change, but many rural folk of all different backgrounds tell me that they are. They are people like myself. Since making my stance public—and it got well-known on social media—the majority of my emails and my correspondence and the people I have spoken to since are still in support. The ratio by far outweighs the people who are speaking negatively about it. There are many people living within rural communities who are already in happy, meaningful and fulfilling same-sex relationships. There are also many people who are completely aware of and supportive of this who are in heterosexual relationships. I do not think it is up to large lobby groups or political parties to tell us what we are or are not ready for. The reality is that the majority of people that I have spoken to or who have contacted me seem to overwhelmingly accept the lifestyles of others and do not feel threatened by a change to the Marriage Act.

When I stood as a candidate for the AMEP, one of the core values of the party that stood out to me was that we believe in minimal government interference. The topic of marriage equality is a standout example of how I interpret this value. We know that people can be attracted to the same sex through no choice of their own and that they are born this way. We know that people hold on to this feeling and even try to hide it for many years—even for a whole lifetime—and I have a massive amount of emails from such people saying so. We know that homosexual people force themselves to be in heterosexual relationships, which can cause marital issues further down the line.

We know that same-sex couples are still at times perceived in public in a way that can cause great amounts of stress and depression. But does it really affect any of us if the Marriage Act is amended to allow marriage equity? In my view, no, it does not. It will just give those who are already in a same-sex relationship or who are genuinely attracted to the same sex the option to have their union recognised, the same as everybody else, if they choose to get married. It does not mean everybody in a same-sex relationship is going to run off and get married. It just gives them that option to get married if they choose to do so and to be recognised, just like the rest of us. It will not affect those who are in a heterosexual relationship, but it will, hopefully, be a step in the right direction in accepting that we are not all the same and that all people have the right to live their lives without judgement.

I am not a religious man. However, I was raised around religion, and some of those values have stuck with me through the years. Values such as: if you cannot say something nice say nothing, be respectful, be forgiving. But the one that always stands out to me—and, apparently, was a commandment—is not to judge. I am a family man. I ride dirt bikes, camp and four-wheel drive. I race cars and I love getting my hands dirty. I love to live my life without judgement, and I like to return that favour. If marriage equality were put to a conscience vote and my vote were the deciding vote, a change to the Marriage Act would occur. If a decision to put the question to a plebiscite were to be on offer, I would support this too to allow the people of Australia to make their vote count. In conclusion, as I said in Heyfield that night, I am proud to put on the record my support for marriage equality, and I am even prouder to stand here in this chamber and say so.