PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (10:51): It is pleasing to see that, high up in the public galleries, we have a number of schoolchildren. Welcome to Canberra. What I would say, indeed, is please know that there is help available should you need it.

Australia is a great country. It's the best in the world. R U OK?

Day is marked on the second Thursday of September annually. I could say to the Deputy Speaker, the member for Wright, 'Are you okay?' I could say to the minister, the member for Eden-Monaro, 'Are you okay?' Member for Cook, 'Are you okay?' I know that you are, but, then again, you don't know what you don't know. We should reach out to our colleagues, to our adversaries, and ask them if they are okay.

You never quite know what's going on in someone's own private life, in their world, in their head. Respect and friendliness and that compassion that we ought to show to others is so important. I grew up, as I know did the three MPs I just mentioned, in an era that was vastly different than the one young people are growing up in today.

We're having a debate in this parliament and in the nation at the moment about algorithms. With algorithms, unfortunately, it's almost like a fire hydrant of people's own biases are being forced upon you after you do a search or go on a social media network. It's so much pressure on young people.

The government has certainly made some welcome changes with the social media ban for under-16s. That is to be commended. Algorithms are another debate altogether, and it's going to be an earnest debate and one that I think we need to carefully consider.

Certainly in regional Australia there are a number of good organisations to help people who live remotely and rurally with their mental health. In recent times that has become more prevalent amongst groups who would never have sought the support that they do these days. My father was a very old fashioned farmer, and there were times when he did it tough when the vagaries of the weather affected the fortunes on the farm, but many farmers these days are much more amenable to reaching out to say, 'I'm not okay'—and it is okay to say, 'I'm not okay.' I commend those brave farmers for doing it.

We've got Riverina Bluebell, and I know Mick Graham and a bunch of dedicated volunteers do their best to promote awareness amongst our agricultural sector that you can reach out and there is help at hand. I commend all those psychologists and psychiatrists who practise in rural Australia—because heaven knows we need you. We need more of you.

I commend them for taking that commitment and going out beyond the bright city lights to ensure that that people in rural and regional Australia have the same support that they enjoy in the cities. Certainly, for our young people, there are so many pressures brought on them these days and I think resilience training is going to be something in the future that is going to be so important.

Our school teachers do a lot of fine work, they do—let's acknowledge that from the outset—but they cannot do everything. They cannot be the sports coach and the absent parent and everything else and make sure that every child under them is mentally prepared for the challenges of today. I know that many of them do identify children at risk, and they are to be encouraged for the work that they do in this space, but it does come back to the home as well.

Parents do have to take the responsibility to ensure as best they can that their children are in the right headspace. Who they're mixing with is important too. When I talk about headspace, I do commend former minister Christopher Pyne for his pioneering work in that regard.

I commend anything that the government is doing in the mental health space, and I know that the member for Bonner has brought this motion to the House. It's an important one. One issue I want to relay to the parliament when we're talking about mental health is: let's not forget our veterans, because mental health is part of the allied health, and that $5,000 allied healthcare cap is unnecessary.

So many veterans have told me over the past fortnight, when I visited every territory in every state, that that cap has to be scrapped for the sake of the mental health of our veterans.