Thank you for the introduction John Paul Janke and Uncle Allen for your Welcome to Country.
Friends - I acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, on whose land we meet today – and I pay my respects to elders past and present.
I also want to acknowledge my colleague and friend -
The Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and the Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health.
- Aunty Marjorie Anderson
- Leilani Darwin, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board, 13 Yarn
Thanks for inviting me to speak.
The health and wellbeing of our people is very important to the Australian Government –
and not just the Australian Labor Party.
Our predecessors also made mental health a national priority –
and I do want to recognise their work in this space, including getting 13YARN to where it is today.
I’ll speak more about the fabulous work 13 Yarn is doing in a moment – but first, I want to say a few words about this spectacular location.
We’re standing right next to the heart of the early British colony.
You could call it colonisation ground zero.
The first Government house used to be just up the hill.
Lady Elizabeth Macquarie, Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s wife, took daily walks just over there (Lady Macquarie’s chair).
And the Tank Stream – which was the lifeblood of the early colony - still flows under the city today.
Beneath the foundations of this building is the place that we now call Bennelong Point.
And just down the road is Barangaroo Headland.
These locations take their name from two strong First Nations people who lived here more than 240 years ago.
Most of what we know comes from records kept by the British.
But even to them it was clear that both Bennelong and Barangaroo were important people.
They were influential in both the Gadigal community and in the early European colony.
Barangaroo is described as an independent, strong woman from the Cammeraygal clan –
who lived in and around the north harbour and Manly.
She had presence and authority. Some of the British found her a little frightening.
As an Eora fisher-woman she provided for her family.
It’s said that Bennelong was Barangaroo’s second husband.
She lost her first husband and two children to small pox – a pandemic that killed around half the population of the Sydney area in the 1780s.
Bennelong tried to walk a fine line between two cultures.
But alienated from both, he drank too much, too often -
and died in 1813 – probably very unhappy man.
The stories of Bennelong and Barangaroo are quite well known now.
Children learn about them at school.
And while they events are remote – they happened more than two hundred years ago –
The themes are familiar: loss, alienation, resistance and struggle.
I hope that through the ups and downs they found comfort in each other, their families and friends and their communities.
Now to 13 Yarn.
Thank you for inviting me to speak today.
There’s no doubt 13 Yarn has the potential to play an important in improving social and emotional wellbeing of our people around the country.
I understand that the hotline is already operating successfully - providing welcoming, culturally safe support for our people –
When people are going through difficult times.
The past few years have been tough for many Australians.
And the difficult times have continued for many people.
I understand that in October alone, more than 2500 calls to 13 Yarn were answered –
That’s 500 more than the previous month.
It’s great to hear that awareness of the service is growing and that more and more people are getting help.
I have been listening to Noel Pearson’s excellent Boyer lectures.
He has made the stunning claim that we are a “much unloved people.”
This is incredibly sad, but unfortunately probably quite true.
Unfortunately, racism is still alive and well in this country.
And many of us face it in subtle ways throughout our lives.
At a national level the Australian Government is working to implement the Uluru Statement.
Starting with the creation of a Voice to Parliament.
Ultimately, this is all about bringing us together as a nation.
But I know that in the lead-up to the referendum, we will probably have to listen to some pretty horrible things about our mob –
From people who are threatened or opposed to change.
Or maybe just plain racist.
I’m so glad that 13Yarn will be there for them.
A service designed for our people.
To provide support with cultural understanding.
To listen without judgement so no one feels any shame.
Recognising the power of a story to heal.
This is a bit heavy -
But before I wind up I want to acknowledge anyone here today with lived experience of suicide and its consequences.
There is a ripple-effect with suicide.
They say that one death can have life-long consequences for over 100 people.
Family, friends, colleagues.
I know that there would be people in this room – in fact any room – living with the grief and trauma.
I want to acknowledge the unspoken weight that many people carry with them every day, and how difficult that can be.
One of the wonderful things about this hotline is that it will help people to feel less alone.
I love the comment in the brief you provided –
“We believe there is always hope at the end of a yarn.”
Words to live by!
Congratulations to everyone involved in getting 13 Yarn to the point where it is ready to launch nationally.
Thank you for the important work that you do – and I wish you the very best of luck.