Page 3464 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 23 September 2015
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I pay tribute to the work of the Battle for Australia Commemoration National Council and acknowledge the role of the Australian War Memorial in commemorating this time in our history and educating Australians about it. It is an essential part of making Australia’s 20th century history meaningful and relevant to its modern citizenry.
R U OK? Day
MRS JONES (Molonglo) (6.00): On Thursday, 10 September I was pleased to host in the Speaker’s hospitality room a morning tea to raise funds and awareness for R U OK? Day. R U OK? is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2009 whose vision is a world where we are connected to each other and protected from suicide. Suicide prevention is rather complex but we also know that there is power in the simple question: “Are you okay?” People suffering from a lack of connection and belonging is what R U OK? aims to work towards. By inspiring people to ask the question and to listen and follow up, we can help people struggling with life to feel connected long before they think about suicide. Regular, meaningful, face-to-face conversations are essential and asking “Are you okay?” is a good place to start.
Thank you to all the MLAs and staff who attended the morning tea. I made a speech to attendees explaining how important it is for us to be aware of how people may be feeling and how asking the simplest questions can change the course of somebody’s life. A special thank you goes to Amber Gale and Liam Develin for their hard work in baking the food for the morning tea. I really loved the yellow themed cupcakes and the sugar-free banana and raspberry cake. They were winners.
As shadow minister for mental health I am very happy to have been involved in supporting such a great organisation and helping to raise awareness about asking, “Are you okay?” I encourage anyone who wants to know more about the good work of R U OK? to go to their website at www.ruok.org.au.
Girl Guides Youth Presentation Day
MR WALL (Brindabella) (6.02): I rise this evening to speak about the ACT and South East New South Wales Region Girl Guides Youth Presentation Day held on Sunday, 30 August at Majura Primary School in Watson. I was pleased to present the awards this year at the presentation day and I thank Mrs Fiona Longford, the ACT and south-eastern New South Wales region manager, for the opportunity to participate on the day.
The Girl Guides program provides girls and young women with a sense of purpose, belonging and achievement and helps to develop skills for life. For guides, a challenge is a goal or an aim that you set yourself and carry out to the best of your ability. The Australian guide program provides guides with lots of opportunities to challenge themselves.
There were three categories of awards presented this year. The junior BP award is typically earned by junior guides who complete 12 challenges from the six fundamental areas of guiding, being: service to the community, outdoors, working in small groups or the patrol system, guiding traditions, international perspectives or
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