CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms AMBIHAIPAHAR (Barton) (10:13): I rise to speak about my recent visit to Sydney Technical High School with the member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, who is also our Special Envoy for Men's Health. We met with schoolteachers to talk about men's health and mental health and the pressures that young men are facing every day. We know men are less likely than women to seek help when they are struggling.
Too often, boys are taught that being a man means staying in control, toughing it out and never looking weak. That pressure is not new, but it is being very much supercharged by what we see online. Today, a boy can go online looking for something as harmless as wrestling or fitness tips, and, before he knows it, he's being pulled into content about being jacked or looksmaxxing and chasing a narrow idea of what it means to be a man.
A lot of it chips away at self-esteem and tells boys they are never strong enough, big enough or even good enough. At Sydney Tech, we heard directly from students about what they are seeing online and hearing from friends. We need to listen to young men, take them very seriously and help them push back against these harmful messages.
And the message was very simple: it is not weak to speak. One of the most important things I've done since being elected the new local member for Barton is establish the Barton Defence Community Council. It gives the local defence community in my electorate a direct line to their federal representative, and it makes sure the work I do here in Canberra is shaped by the lived experience of people in the St George and Canterbury area.
Recently that council hosted a panel at Bexley Golf Club, with local ex-service people, serving personnel and families speaking very honestly about military life, transition, mental health and wellbeing. What we heard was very clear: too many current and former ADF personnel still face real barriers to seeking support. Stigma, defence culture and the fear of not being fit for service can stop people from asking for help.
Veterans also spoke about the stress of DVA claims, the difficulty they have navigating the system and the need for clear local referral pathways. I thank the member for Hunter and our Special Envoy for Men's Health, Dan Repacholi, and Sergeant Kirsti Claymore for helping with a very safe space where those conversations can be had. That is why this council is crucial, because support must be local, inclusive, practical and shaped by veterans themselves.