STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr CHAFFEY (Parkes) (16:15): As I said earlier today in this place, all Australians have the right to be proud of being either a woman or a man. We would be failing so many men and boys throughout our nation if we did not acknowledge that they too are facing considerable challenges in navigating everyday life. On Saturday, the shadow envoy for men and boys, the member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien, and I held a boys, men and dads forum in Dubbo to allow a safe space for people to talk about their concerns.

It was a forum that explored both pain and hope. Over the weekend we had the pleasure of meeting with many locals in both Forbes and Dubbo. One such meeting was with Warwick and Kylie Mitchell of Peak Hill in my electorate of Parkes, who lost their son, Mack, aged 17, to suicide in 2024.

They have found a way to celebrate their son and raise awareness of mental health through their MACK Label and also a fundraising ball planned for the Parkes community in October. You can find out more on their website themacklabel.rocks. Also in the room were Boys to the Bush and Tradies in Sight.

Boys to the Bush bring the whole community on board with prevention and early intervention strategies for young men, while Tradies in Sight is dedicated to supporting tradies in regional New South Wales. These are amazing programs and amazing people who are making a difference where it is really needed. Thank you to the shadow special envoy for men and boys, Llew O'Brien, to all those organisations and to those who also attended.