Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is estimated that one in five people aged 18 to 65 will experience a common mental health disorder in any one year. However, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are under-represented in accessing mental health services. They tend to present late to these services and are therefore more unwell by the time they begin to receive help. This is saying that people from CALD backgrounds wait and wait and wait. They find coping mechanisms to deal with how they're feeling or they bottle it up and keep it to themselves until it's serious, until it's severe.

There is a stigma in many CALD communities about seeking help for mental health—trust me, I know. It's sometimes even considered a taboo topic, to remain unspoken or brushed under the rug, afraid of being judged or appearing weak. Young people, in particular, face this. There is often an intergenerational difference in perceptions of mental health. I know that there are many other barriers that people from CALD backgrounds face when accessing mental health services, like a limited understanding of the support services that are available, high cost of private services, long waitlists for public services, language barriers and the limited supply of providers who can deliver culturally responsive services. I acknowledge these barriers, and I know how difficult it can be. I've experienced it myself.

It takes work from all of us to change this perception of mental health. We need to prioritise our health, both mental and physical. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to ask for help. It is okay to talk it out. It is okay to take medication to fight the blues. We need to be open with our friends and families, because they're there and they love us.