CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Mr KHALIL (Wills—Assistant Minister for Defence) (10:39): Earlier this week I got to play basketball, and, given my prodigious height, this was quite a sight! I did it for a great cause with some of my good mates, the member for Macnamara and the member for Hunter. It was put on by the Man Cave.
It was a great cause by a great for not-for-profit organisation in my electorate, which focuses on preventive mental health for boys and young men. This year's Men's Health Week theme is Partners in Care, which highlights how relationships, communities and support networks shape men's health outcomes across their life span. The event brought to life the fact that when you unite boys and young men with their role models and with other leaders and you do it on the court in any sporting environment, that physical, mental and emotional health are really deeply connected.
This event showed that, when we come together, we can build positive support networks that lead to a greater connection amongst young men. And this is what it's about. It's about human connection—getting them offline and actually connecting with others, connecting with peers, connecting with mentors.
Having that human connection is so critically important for their development as young men. That's why organisations like Man Cave actually matter. They help young men build positive habits early, because men, frankly, continue to experience poor health outcomes when comes to a range of areas.
They're less likely to engage in preventative health checks, and a lot of health experts agree that early detection remains one of the most effective ways to improve health outcomes and save lives. Most blokes in this country are more often comfortable talking about the footy—I know I am, talking about the World Cup—or talking about work or whatever they're doing on the weekend than they are about talking about their own health.
But having those conversations can literally save lives, having them early as well can save lives and, in a sense, too, being able to talk to your mates can save lives. It sounds a bit melodramatic, but having someone to talk to that understands is really, really important. So, if you're a bloke—and there are a lot of blokes out there—and you've been putting off a check-up or a blood test or a conversation with your GP, now is the time to do it.
Go and do it. Make the booking. Looking after your health isn't a sign of weakness.
It's one of the most important things you can do for yourself and for your family and for the people who rely on you and who love you. I think that's an important message for men across the country. So, in honour of Men's Health Week, I encourage all men to get a check-up and check in on both their mental and their physical health and seek support when they really need it.