Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (17:06):

Speaker, I move that this House:

(1) acknowledges that:

(a) too many Australian men are struggling with their health in silence, with outdated stereotypes stopping them from seeking support; and

(b) suicide rates among men remain far too high;

(2) recognises that the Government is delivering real support to men and boys by strengthening Medicare and investing $32 million in targeted men's health initiatives, including:

(a) $11.3 million for Movember to train 60,000 primary health workers and encourage men to visit the doctor; and

(b) $20.7 million for grassroots mental health support, including expanded funding for Men's Sheds, Ahead of the Game, Healthy Male, and the Danny Frawley Centre;

(3) notes that this builds on the Government's broader investments of:

(a) $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare;

(b) $11.6 million in men's health funding in the 2024-25 budget; and

(c) $1 billion for mental health, including more headspace centres and more trained mental health professionals; and

(4) welcomes the Government's commitment to breaking down stigma, supporting better health outcomes for men and boys, and building a stronger, fairer, healthier Australia for everyone.

Health is an issue impacting men across this country. It's no secret that men face significant health challenges, but we don't talk about men's health as much as we should. We need to do better at looking after our health, and that starts by men actually having conversations about it. Whether it's heart health, prostate, testicles, erectile dysfunction, mental health or even the common cold, men often don't take our health seriously. This means that men are dying when they don't need to. One of the easiest ways for men to get on top of their health is to book a regular check-up with their GP.

Whenever I'm speaking to a room full of men, I say, 'Put your hand up if you've seen your GP in the last 12 months.' Usually, not many hands go up at all. So we need to make it a habit to get a regular check-up. Book it in every year on your birthday. See the doctor when your car goes in for a pink slip. If your car needs a regular check-up, we do as well. And, when something does not feel right, even if you saw your doctor last month, make another appointment. If we have an issue with our car, we take it straight to the mechanic, but, when we're sick or something doesn't feel right, we wait until an arm is about to fall off before we book an appointment with our GP. That doesn't make sense. Our health is so important. Going to a doctor could save our life.

An important part of my role is debunking some of the big myths in men's health. For example, you no longer need a finger up the bum to see if you have prostate cancer. It can now be done by a simple blood test. One of the biggest deterrence for men getting checked for prostate cancer, one of our biggest killers of men, is no longer necessary.

We also need to look after our mental health. I know talking about our feelings is not something that comes naturally to everybody, especially men, but we need to normalise opening up and lightening the load that is weighing us down. Seventy per cent of suicides in Australia are men. Something isn't right. If you're struggling, talk to somebody. There's always somebody who will listen. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, even if there are times when you don't see it. Check in on your mates. Give them a call. Catch up for a beer or a coffee or even just send them a text message. Small things can make a big difference in so many people's lives.

As a government, we're starting a conversation about men's health. We will improve health outcomes for men through a strong focus on these issues. I'm so proud to be holding the new position of Special Envoy for Men's Health. This is the first time a government has appointed a special envoy for men's health. It shows how seriously the Albanese Labor government is taking men's health. Through this position, I hope to bring attention to the topic and help find solutions to the health issues leading to men dying far too young.

We're kicking off with $32 million to support men's health. This includes $11.3 million for Movember to provide men's healthcare training to primary healthcare workers to encourage men to see their GPs. There's $20.7 million for grassroots initiatives to support men's mental health and wellbeing, like the men's sheds initiative, the National Shed Development Program, which provides grants of up to $10,000 to individual men's sheds, and the Movember Ahead of the Game program, delivered in partnership with the AFL, which develops emotional resilience in boys and young men through sporting environments and teaches them to seek help when they need it. Funding will also go to Healthy Male to support the delivery of the Plus Paternal initiative, a program to help men prepare for fatherhood, because we know it's a massive change in a bloke's life when he's bringing new people into this world. There's also funding for the Black Dog Institute to research men's mental health and suicide prevention.

To all the blokes out there, I honestly call on you to go and book an appointment with your GP. Go and get blood tests done. We can talk in this place about mental health. We could talk about physical health. We could talk about all the health issues in the world. But, until we actually go and take that first step, see our GP and have that conversation to acknowledge that there may be something wrong with us—or there may not be something wrong, but we need to go get a blood test every 12 months to get that checked. Please go out there and do that. We owe it to our families, we owe it to our kids, we owe it to our partners, we owe it to our loved ones and we owe it to our mates to make sure we're looking after ourselves so that we can be the best dads, the best mates, the best friends that can be out there. Thank you to all the men out there.