lepdev – Deborah O'Neill

Senator O’NEILL (20:17): I’m sure you’ll be as surprised as I was, Mr Acting Deputy President Brockman, to find out that when children aged nine to 11 were asked to draw a scientist two-thirds of them drew a man. Did you know that only around one-third of girls in year 4 in Australia were confident in their maths ability, compared to 42 per cent of boys in year 4?

Let me say that this is not a phenomenon that is internationally consistent. We’re talking about a particularly Australian phenomenon. I’m sure you’ve heard this one all too often in Australia: ‘Girls aren’t good at maths or science.’

We should all know well by now that biological sex does not innately affect one’s potential to succeed and achieve in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, but stereotypes and a lack of confidence are impacting on the decisions and choices that our boys and girls are making. Take this statistic, for example: boys are three times more likely than girls to choose physics in year 12 and nearly twice as likely as girls to choose advanced mathematics in year 12. All of this matters for our nation—for the advancement of the innate capacities that our population holds and for our economic outcomes as well. We need girls engaged in STEM because it’s simply unfair that gender limits choice. More than this, we need girls engaged in STEM because it is critical for their future economic security.

As Labor’s shadow assistant minister for innovation, I’m passionate about changing the under-representation of girls and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I have been meeting with inspiring and remarkable women in STEM who are at the forefront of ideas and innovation, and they are doing their bit towards transforming the nation. They have made it very clear to me that much more needs to be done to ensure the deep-rooted issues at the heart of the under-representation of women in STEM are finally solved. When it comes to participation and approaches to studying or working in STEM, there is a gender divide. Sadly this gender divide can be observed very early in the educational decisions made by our girls and boys. Whilst progress has happened here in Australia, we are nowhere near where we need to be to achieve gender parity in STEM, which we know has been achieved in similar contexts in other jurisdictions.

This is largely because obstacles for girls in STEM have deeply entrenched societal, cultural and institutional roots. We know that these things are notoriously difficult to change and reshape. Unfortunately we saw this eventuate in the last month when the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science 2018 were announced. The prizes recognise the contributions that scientists, innovators and science teachers make to Australia’s scientific and commercialisation capabilities. Of the 10 awardees, only one was a woman, Dr Lee Berger, but at estimates we were told that, of the 128 nominations, less than 27 per cent were women. That 27 per cent was the highest representation of women on record, but it didn’t translate to a recognition of awardees at a similar rate. This has to change, and it will be hard work, but it’s work that we must do, because our girls need all of us to do better and we need to secure their future economic security.

I also want to put on the record today a little bit of an update on some of the work that I’ve been doing with people from around the country with regard to eating disorders and particularly to record the perspective of young people. This is because, while eating disorders know no boundaries of age or gender and can occur in men and women of all ages, young people are those at highest risk. Every single year for the last two decades Mission Australia’s National Youth Survey consistently indicates that body image is one of the top three concerns of young men and of young women. Young people with body dissatisfaction are more vulnerable to disordered eating and more vulnerable to developing eating disorders. Research tells us that most young people know at least one other young person who they think might have an eating disorder. We know that body dissatisfaction and eating disorders can profoundly affect a young person’s ability to participate and succeed at school.

This is something that Minister Hunt has labelled a personal priority. Last year Minister Hunt tasked the Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce to investigate options for Medicare coverage for the treatment needs of those living with an eating disorder. Labor welcomed this inquiry and remains supportive of it. Minister Hunt made an explicit commitment to providing more Medicare support for all Australians living with an eating disorder by 30 November 2018. That date is rapidly approaching. Minister Hunt stated:

… we have to change that paradigm and provide more services and more Medicare support in order to do that, and I am confident that over the course of the next year we will achieve that outcome.

This was the Grace Groom Memorial Oration that he gave last year on 30 November, and Labor was pleased with this, but then during budget estimates in May the Department of Health advised that the MBS Review Taskforce had not submitted recommendations and that no costings had been undertaken. They stated that the task force was expected to submit its recommendations in late 2018. I note again for the record that 30 November 2018 is a deadline fast approaching. Minister Hunt must deliver on his commitment to create a plan for a specific treatment for all Australians who are living with eating disorders. Minister Hunt must match his words with real action for the more than one million Australian men and women living with an eating disorder. The impact that is felt is not just on that individual but, significantly, on their family, the people they work with and their friends who care about them and can see the struggles that they face with issues of access and with issues of competent and effective treatment.

I’m concerned that the government will continue to do what it’s done in this space, which is to talk a big game, to over-promise and to under-deliver. I’m very concerned that there should not be false hope but, rather, support for all Australians who need assistance with the treatment of eating disorders.

Senator O’NEILL (New South Wales) (18:29):

I rise to make my contribution on the arrival in this chamber of this very significant report on industrial deaths. I acknowledge those who have travelled here, physically, from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and as far away as Western Australia, but the journeys that you’ve undertaken with your bodies are nothing in comparison to the journeys of the heart that you’re undertaking right now.

I want to particularly acknowledge one woman who’s sitting up there, Mrs Kay Catanzariti, who, in a great leap of hope in a time when politics is treated in our media and in our society as an instrument that can deliver nothing except conflict, contacted Senator Marshall, a Labor senator from the great state of Victoria—not as great as New South Wales, of course, but he had an open heart, open ears and a willingness to work on this issue, which has plagued this nation for far too long.

We heard from Senator Bilyk that 200-plus people die per year. As one of the parents said earlier today in a meeting that we had at nine o’clock in Bill Shorten’s office, ‘Australians accept deaths in the workplace.’ That is a chilling sentence, and we can no longer allow that culture to prevail. That is what this report is addressing—that cultural reality that we live with today.

You are here today as citizens in a democracy making history. You’re in a historic building. I know that you just think you’re ordinary Australians, but this is what’s great about this country. Ordinary Australians, when we stand up for what we believe in and fight for what’s right, can do amazing things. You’ve already done amazing things, and now we will try to do our best with what you have given us.

Words matter. It will surprise you, as it often surprises me, that across this nation right now there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who are listening as they’re driving home from work—happily, I hope—to their families, and they’ll hear what we’re doing here. So today, in preparing my speech for this moment, I thought: what words could I say? We talk about the work ahead of us, and I acknowledge the great contributions of the senators who have spoken here before me this evening, but I’m going to do what I can to get as many of your words on the record as possible, because they were so powerful. I’m sure some of you sat in English classes and thought you’d never have the gift of the gab and you’d never say things that would matter, but I’m going to try to read as much as I can of what you gave us into the Hansard record to be part of the history of this nation, because you’ve done something very powerful and significant by participating in this inquiry and bringing it to be.

Mr Jack Brownlee was killed at work in 2018, aged 21. Dave and Janine Brownlee, his mum and dad, are here. Mr Dave Brownlee, I bet you don’t even remember what you said, but this is just a bit of what you put on the record, and it was pretty amazing, because truth has a voice:

I’m here with my wife and also representing my two sons, Mitchell Brownlee and Jack Brownlee. Jack was 21 years old, and he will always be 21 years old. He will never age. He went to work on 21 March and was caught in a trench collapse that covered the boy up to his neck, with one arm free. About 9.30 on that day was the last time they— Jack and his co-worker Charlie Howkins— were seen and they weren’t found until 11.30. They weren’t rescued until 2.30. In the first two hours, Jack would have had the most horrific time. His mate— Charlie Howkins, Lana Cormie’s husband— was dead beside him, metres away. Jack would have been screaming for help, and the other boys were at smoko. They were left on their own. There was no supervision of these boys. There was nothing. At the time, I was at the hospital with my wife, who was suffering severe migraines. We received no phone call from the company until 5.30 that afternoon.
Beforehand, I had a friend who worked in Geelong. He rang me and informed me. Things were on Facebook about a trench collapse in Ballarat and he thought our son Jack was involved. I raced up there to the site and was met at the roadblock by the police. We weren’t allowed in. Jack had just been evacuated, they said, and they were putting him in an induced coma. I was informed by the police that the best thing to do was to hightail down to Melbourne and meet him at the hospital. We still had not heard from the company.

This is an excerpt of what Mrs Janine Brownlee said:

The hardest thing for us was to leave our son and drive home. The hardest thing was to drive there in the first place, getting updates telling us, ‘Hurry up. Your son mightn’t make it.’ And then the hardest thing was to drive home the next day, leaving our boy at the hospital. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do: knowing he was there on his own; leaving my baby there … Things need to change. How we were treated was so wrong.

Mr Charlie Howkins was killed at work in 2018, aged 34. His wife is here, Dr Lana Cormie. She said:

I am a doctor of veterinary science and I am married to Charlie Howkins, who was a registered building practitioner and worked in civil construction at the time of his death. I am—and we were—parents to two small children: Sophie, who is four, and George, who is one year old. Charlie went to work one day in March and he never came home. He became just another of the dead bodies which are carried out of a workplace every second day in Australia. Words simply cannot do justice to the devastation which has followed. His death is a result of a failure in the culture, values, systems and laws of our country. What is left in the wake of this failure is our broken family.

Mr Robert Cunico was killed at work in 2018, aged 60. Robert’s daughter, Ms Ashlea Castle, is here and so is his wife, Debby Cunico. Ms Castle said:

My dad lived for almost an hour in the most horrific conditions while being cradled in the arms of a colleague before succumbing to his injuries. Despite the efforts made by the first responders and emergency services, his injuries were so catastrophic that he was never going to survive. My father should never have sustained even a paper cut whilst he was on the job, let alone injuries so severe that his life was ended. My dad was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, an uncle and a friend to many.

Mr Luke Murrie was killed at work in 2007, aged 22. Luke’s parents, Mark and Janice Murrie, are here. Mr Murrie said:

Luke was 22 when he was killed. He was killed in an unsafe work environment where inexperienced workers were instructed to do an unsafe lift. The unsafe method was quicker and therefore it was cheaper. There was no meaningful deterrent for the employer to do it safely. He put the dollar before safety.

Mr Ben Catanzariti was killed at work in 2012, aged 21. His parents, Kay and Barney, are here today. Kay said:

I’m here today not by choice. I’m here because my son Ben, who was 21 years old … was killed when a 39-metre, three-tonne concrete boom collapsed and crushed his skull in 2012. You senators have chosen this career to represent the Australian people first and foremost, to listen and to protect all Australians and take responsibility for their health and wellbeing in our ever-changing world, and we need to unite regardless of which party we belong to. We are all the same. We are human beings. We have the right to live our lives without fear of going to work and not coming home.

Mr Jason Garrels was killed at work in 2012, aged 20. Jason’s parents, Michael and Lee Garrels, are here. Lee said:

My son Jason Garrels aged 20 was fatally electrocuted on the 27th February 2012 in Clermont, Queensland. My son was employed as a labourer for approx 9 days with Daytona Trading Pty Ltd … I went to assist at the resuscitation not knowing it was my son. Words cannot describe the impact that it has had on me and my family; I was thrown into a life that was a surreal nightmare which became my reality.

I want to acknowledge: Mr Glen Biddle, killed at work in 2007, aged 39, and his sister Shauna; Iremar Moussa, killed at work in 2016, aged 55, and wife Linda; Mr Jarrod Hampton—Troy and Robert Hampton are here today; Mr Daniel Bradshaw, killed at work in 2017, aged 37; Mr Jayden Zappelli, killed at work in 2013, aged 18, and his father, Greg; Mr Chris Patrick, killed at work in 2014, aged 25, and his partner, Christiana Paterson and Mr Wesley Ballantine, killed at work, aged 17, and his mother, Regan Ballantine. Thank you for coming to be here today for the reception of this report. Thank you for your work as Australians. We honour you and we’ll do what we can.

Did you know that when children aged nine to eleven were asked to draw a scientist two-thirds drew a man? Or, did you know that around only one-third of girls in year 4 were confident in their maths ability, compared to 42 per cent of boys in year 4?

We all should well know by now, biological sex does not innately affect one’s potential to succeed and achieve in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). But stereotypes and confidence are impacting the decisions and choices our boys and girls are making.

Take this statistic as an example: boys are three times more likely than girls to choose physics in Year 12 and nearly twice more likely than girls to choose advanced mathematics in Year 12.

And, all of this matters.

Source: HuffPost

We need girls engaged in STEM because it’s simply unfair that gender limits choice. More so than this, we need girls engaged in STEM because this is critical for their future economic security.

As Labor’s Assistant Minister for Innovation, I am passionate about changing the underrepresentation of girls in STEM. Today, [Thursday, 11 October 2018] is the International Day of the Girl. This year’s theme is ‘With Her: A Skilled GirlForce’ aimed at raising awareness about the needs and opportunities of girls to attain skills for employability.

All around the world, girls need to prepare to enter an entirely new workforce to what we have today, a workforce that is being transformed by innovation and automation. As part of this year’s theme, I want all of us to think about what this means for our girls in Australia – what do our girls need for their future workforce capabilities?

Every day, we read another article about how technological advancement will cause robots to replace workers; a reduction in the demand for routine, manual tasks such as bookkeeping. Currently, rapid technological advancement is causing the labour market to change what it demands from our workers.

The nature of work is changing, which means the nature of our workforce has to change. And, it’s been well-established that these changes must be underpinned by a STEM literate workforce. We know girls in Australia are our most educated generation. But, at the moment, a STEM literate workforce is leaving our girls behind.

When it comes to participation and approaches to studying or working in STEM, there is a gendered divide. Sadly, this gendered divide can be observed very early in the educational decisions made by our girls and boys.

Whilst progress has happened in Australia we are nowhere near where we need to be to achieve gender parity in STEM. This is because obstacles for girls in STEM have deep and entrenched societal, cultural, and institutional roots, which are difficult to change. This will be hard work, but it is work that we must do. Because, our girls need all of us to do better – we need to secure their future economic security and create A Skilled GirlForce.

Originally published on Women’s Agenda

Every day, 44,000 locals travel from the Coast to their place of work. For many of these commuters, a 4-hour round-trip is not uncommon.

Over a five day working week, that adds up to 20 hours. That’s 20 hours unpaid. 20 hours away from our families. Over the course of one year, this means too many of us spend the equivalent of 38 days in the car or a crowded train carriage getting to and from work.

This time on the road, or on the rails, is taxing on all of us.

Former commuter, Scott Goodacre, commuted from the Central Coast to Sydney Monday-Friday for 10 years. Scott says the commute was exhausting, and recalls seeing the same exhaustion on the faces of fellow commuters on the train each morning.

Commuters at Gosford train station. (Source: Daily Telegraph)

After a decade, Scott decided to make a change and go back to university. “I wanted to retrain myself in a different field, with the hope of opening up more employment opportunities for myself in the local area” says Scott. He chose to study at the University of Newcastle, and expected to attend classes at the Ourimbah campus; however most of his classes took place at the university’s Callaghan campus.

Scott is a big advocate for increased funding to education on the Coast. Like many of us, he knows the entire region would benefit from an investment in local schools, as well as TAFE and university options for students. Labor knows this too. We’re dedicated to restoring education funding, and we have committed an additional $174 million to support pathways to post-secondary education.

“The Central Coast is a beautiful area,” beams Scott, “I don’t want to have to move away, but I also can’t bear to face the continued commute to Sydney or Newcastle each day”.

This dilemma is a reality for many Coasties. And, unfortunately, it’s driving them away from the Central Coast. In pursuit of full-time employment in their field, some Coast residents are seeking employment interstate and overseas – choosing relocation over the commute.

It’s clear we need to do more to keep Central Coast residents living, learning, and working on the Coast.

Scott believes that “We need to start offering incentives to bigger businesses to open satellite offices on the Central Coast”. And this is exactly what Labor is thinking, too. Only a Shorten Labor Government will establish a $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Future Fund to provide concessional loans to manufacturers seeking to innovate, expand, or diversify.

These loans will enable business to establish local regional offices on the Central Coast, or allow existing business to expand through new technology. On the Central Coast, we’re famed for our food production. We’re home to East Coast Juice, as well as international brands Sanitarium and MasterFoods Australia.

Labor’s Advanced Manufacturing Future Fund will support and foster growth in these businesses and many more; boosting our local economy, and enabling more residents of the Central Coast to work locally.

We’re committed to improving the lives of hard-working Australians, and creating a better future that we can all enjoy. Only a Shorten Labor Government has the plans in place to help the Central Coast flourish. Together, we can thrive.

Think about your family, your workplace, or maybe the café you were in this morning, or the train carriage you’re sitting in now as you read this. How many people are there? 5? 10?

An estimated 4 million Australians aged between 16 and 85 experience mental ill health. This represents about 20 per cent of adults, or, one in five Australians. That’s one person for every five in your office, at your dining table, or one in five around you right now.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for 15 – 44 year olds in Australia.

In 2016, 2,866 Australians died from suicide. On average, this translates to around eight people every single day – that’s one person every three hours. For every one person that dies by suicide, there are an additional 30 people who attempt to end their lives.

The statistics are confronting and heartbreaking. Behind every loss is a community of relatives, friends and colleagues dealing with grief.

R U OK? Day encourages people to start a meaningful conversation with someone they are worried about. For many of us, asking someone about their mental wellbeing may seem daunting. We may feel like we’re invading their privacy, or unfairly speculating about their mental state. R U OK? Day aims to remove this fear and make conversations about mental health normal.

Asking someone you love or someone you care about if they’re okay is only the first step. We’re being encouraged to ask, listen, encourage action, and check-in. This four step process is key to meaningful conversation; listening to their concerns, encouraging them to take action if necessary, and checking-in with them shows that you support them, and it may just change their life. Evidence shows that it is not harmful to ask someone if they are thinking about taking their own life – in fact it could help.

R U OK? Day’s slogan is “A conversation could change a life”. For Central Coast resident, Jonathan Muir, this hits home hard.

“It’s very difficult to have those conversations when everyone is living such different lives,” says Jonathan.

Jonathan lost his best friend, aged 22, to suicide in 2016.

He speaks of not having a clear understanding of his mate’s mental wellbeing in the lead up to his death, “We didn’t really think there was anything wrong”. But, Jonathan’s concerns grew, so he invited his friend out for dinner to catch up and to see if he was okay. They spoke about relationships, university, and the pressure to succeed.

“He was in tears when I dropped him home” says Jonathan, “I thought they were tears of relief”.

His best friend took his own life just two weeks later.

Awareness days like R U OK? Day are empowering catalysts for change in the way we think and talk about mental illness and crisis situations. It’s clear more needs to be done to support those living with mental ill health and those at-risk.

Men are over-represented in suicide statistics in Australia, with three times more males dying by suicide than females.

So, why don’t men talk more openly about their feelings and mental wellbeing with their friends?

“It’s a guy thing” concedes Jonathan, “admitting that you have some kind of weakness is frowned upon”. These harmful stereotypes about men are entrenched in our society, and detrimental not only to males, but our entire community.

Men aren’t the only group in our community who are disproportionately affected by suicide. Suicide and mental ill health affect certain groups more than others within our community, including Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, LGBTQIA+, and those living outside of urban centres.

As Labor’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health, I have met with many people across the country to discuss suicide and mental health. I’ve been fortunate enough to regularly visit with the team at our local headspace office in Gosford. headspace offers services to improve the mental and physical health of young people. The Gosford and Lake Haven headpsace branches run a fantastic Meet up and Move program that aims to connect young people with mental health issues through exercise.

Services like this provide a great space for young people to flourish and feel like they belong. More needs to be done to support Australia’s young people so that when they seek assistance the help is there.

During the 2016 election, Labor’s mental health policy had a strong focus on suicide prevention. This included adopting the National Mental Health Commission’s recommendation to reduce suicide by 50 per cent over 10 years. Labor remains committed to this.

Labor knows there is more to do to ensure Australians living with mental ill health have access to the services they need – no matter where they live, whether on the Coast or in the city. A Shorten Labor Government will continue to support mental health services, and continue to focus on long-term mental health reform as a national priority.

It is only through working together that we will be able to finally reduce the impact of mental ill-health and suicide in our society.

A lot of great work has already been done, but we can, and must, do better.

It’s up to all of us to get involved if we are to make a difference.

So today, if you’re OK yourself make sure you have a meaningful conversation that starts with four simple steps:

Ask the question – R U OK?
Listen.
Encourage action.
Check in.

And, if you’re not OK, tell someone today – a friend your doctor, a workmate, or someone waiting to hear from you right now on one of the numbers below.

We can do this. Together, with a bit of love and care in the mix, we can all be OK.

** For 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Other services include Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467, Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636, Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800, MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978 **

The Turnbull-Morrison Government have made sure Australian schools are $17 billion worse off, with major funding cuts to education ushered in in 2017. This reduced funding directly affects Central Coast schools, and the impact doesn’t stop after graduating Year 12.

It is clear that post code still determines opportunity.

While recent national data indicates that the unemployment rate has remained at a steady 5.4 per cent, the unemployment rate on the Central Coast is higher, at 5.9 per cent.

Our young people are much less likely to have a job; with the youth unemployment rate at a staggering 16.9 per cent, well above the national average of 11.1 per cent.

On Sydney’s North Shore, 63.1 per cent of young people hold a bachelor’s degree, whereas on the Coast, it’s only 14 per cent. Year 12 completion rates are also much lower than the national average.

Last week, Labor announced a $174 million commitment to go towards mentoring, support, and other specialised programs designed to boost opportunities for tertiary education. This is particularly pertinent to the Central Coast, where graduation rates and levels of educational attainment are low.

This extra funding means that students who gain entry to university through alternative pathways, like the University of Newcastle’s Open Foundation program, are able to continue to do so, free of charge.

Open Foundation enables students who didn’t achieve success in the HSC another opportunity to pursue tertiary education. Great success has come from the Open Foundation program at University of Newcastle, with many students not only completing undergraduate degrees, but attaining post-graduate qualifications, too.

Students at the University of Newcastle discuss the benefits of Open Foundations with Labor Party representatives; myself, Tanya Plibersek, Anne Charlton, Emma McBride, and Sharon Claydon

Environmental Science student, Emily, says that “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the support of Open Foundations”. Emily appreciates the accessibility of the program, “had the program not been free, there’s no way I would be at university today”.

Programs like this are crucial in ensuring equity of access to aspiring students on the Central Coast. Labor’s commitment also enables universities to collaborate with TAFEs, secondary schools, and not-for-profit and community organisations in focus areas including mentoring and outreach.

Programs like this include AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination – which supports and mentors secondary students who demonstrate an interest or potential for success in tertiary education.

On the Central Coast, Brisbane Water Secondary College and Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College have participated in AVID. Students in the program say it has given them new found confidence at school, and has inspired them to complete Year 12 and go on to university. For some of these students, they would be the very first in their family to do so.

A Shorten Labor Government is committed to accessible education for all students in Australia. It’s clear we need to support our young people on the Coast in their educational pursuits. We must make sure they flourish, not flounder. Only Labor will ensure the success of all students – not just those that can afford it.

This week is Women’s Health Week – a week dedicated to encouraging and supporting all women to prioritise their pursuit of good health. And, when we’re talking about good health we mean health in a holistic manner – one that encompasses physical, social and mental wellbeing. Mental health demands attention and often its experience can be gendered.

Physical, mental, and social health are inextricably linked. Improvements in one aspect of health can have beneficial effects on others. These pillars of health do not stand in isolation, but work co-operatively to support the individual’s overall sense of wellbeing. However, these pillars cannot stand strong without a foundation, and this is where we must take action.

Women’s Health Week is a timely reminder about the importance of a gendered approach to mental health policy. Embedded social and cultural norms mean that girls and women have different experiences, behaviours and help seeking preferences and patterns around mental health, compared to boys and men. This means that a one-size fits all approach to mental health policy will not always suffice.

To demonstrate the multifaceted nature of health, each day of Women’s Health Week presents a new focus. Wednesday, September 5 is focused on mental wellbeing. On this day, people are encouraged to invest in their mental health; making time for self-care and positive thoughts of their physical self.

In my experience as Labor’s Assistant Minister for Mental Health, I spend a lot of time talking with women from and with diverse backgrounds and experiences. I’m fortunate enough to speak with women about what their personal and societal concerns are surrounding mental health.

When it comes to concerns in women’s mental health, there is a persistent and pervasive issue: body image.

Senator O’Neill meeting with the Boden Institute

Studies tell us that the more satisfied a woman is with her body, the happier she is in general. Worrying about body image has implications beyond low self-esteem and self-acceptance. It can have long-term consequences such as anxiety and depression. And, body dissatisfaction is a known risk factor for developing an eating disorder. While eating disorders know no boundaries – they can be experienced by all genders – identifying as a female remains the most commonly identified risk factor for the development of an eating disorder.

In their lifetime, around 15 per cent of Australian women will experience an eating disorder and even more will experience body dissatisfaction. This is likely an underrepresentation as there is significant under reporting with only 1 in 4 Australians experiencing an eating disorder actually known to the health system.

Creating productive spaces where women can talk about their mental wellbeing and share their experiences will only serve to improve mental health outcomes by fostering a sense of connectedness. We cannot continue to keep quiet about our struggles. We cannot let each other feel isolated and alone in mental ill-health. In this, it is crucial we have positive conversations around body image and mental health to ensure we all appreciate what our bodies do for us – not just how they look.

The way society places value on how women look, how we speak, how we dress, how we emote, if we parent, how we parent, how we manage motherhood and work is problematic.

To borrow a quote from Naomi Wolf’s classic ‘The Beauty Myth’:

“Our society does reward beauty on the outside over health on the inside … if public discourse were really concerned with women’s health, it would turn angrily upon this aspect of the beauty myth.”

Women’s Health Week is about empowering women to participate in their own health journey. Talking about health issues that affect women – physically, socially, and mentally – opens the door to creating positive environmental change that will allow women to succeed.

For women, we must redefine realistic expectations of ‘ideal’ body types. We cannot continue to believe images in magazines and on social media that continually perpetuate typical thin women as the ‘ideal’ body types – these images are often altered, and they are alarmingly becoming the norm.

This Women’s Health Week, let’s work together to change social and cultural norms that plague women, and prevent them from living their best, healthiest, most prosperous lives.

** Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (33 4673). For urgent support, call Lifeline 13 11 14 **

Senator Deborah O’Neill is a Labor Senator for NSW, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Shadow Assistant Minister for Innovation

How many times a day do you look at yourself in the mirror, or catch your reflection in a window as you pass by, and suddenly your head fills with negative chatter? Perhaps, your eyes are drawn to that “problem spot”; almost like there’s a flashing neon sign pointing out your insecurity for all to see. We’re often quick to spot our own insecurities, and they’re different for everyone.

More often than not, this negative chatter is filling the minds of or young people. Every single year – for nearly the last two decades – Mission Australia’s National Youth Survey consistently tells us that body image is one of the top 3 concerns of young Australian men and women.

This week is Love Your Body Week – the Butterfly Foundation’s annual awareness campaign supported by Sportsgirl to help boost young people’s body confidence. Love Your Body Week encourages everyone to change appearance-based conversations at school, home, work, and online, to create supportive environments where any and every body shape can flourish. The emphasis is on health and well-being, and appreciating all that our bodies do for us – not just how they look. For this year’s Love Your Body Week, schools and youth organisations will be collaborating to help promote body acceptance and celebrate diversity amongst young people.

In my time as Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health, I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time talking with young people about their mental health and wellbeing. From these conversations, unfortunately, I can confirm Mission Australia’s findings.

The Senator with a youth reference group at headspace Rockingham.

Young people are deeply concerned about their body image and a great number of them express dissatisfaction with how their body looks. Research indicates that amongst 12 to 17 year olds, nine out of ten girls, and nearly seven out of ten boys have been on a diet of some kind.

It’s abundantly clear that there is a pressing issue facing young people around body dissatisfaction, and one which we must take action on.

Research tells us that most young people know at least one other young person who they think might have an eating disorder. While there is no single cause of an eating disorder, young people, particularly young women, are those at the highest risk.

Eating disorders affect around 1 million Australian men and women. However, this number could be an underestimation as there is currently no official data set on eating disorders in Australia. Of the cases known to the health system, only 1 in 4 Australians experiencing an eating disorder are receiving treatment and only 10% will be receiving appropriate treatment.

The Butterfly Foundation work primarily to support those with eating disorders and their friends and family. They know the significance of body confidence and positive body image perception, and how an absence of this can influence mental illness and the development of eating disorders.

In 2007, The Butterfly Foundation began partnering with Sportsgirl to raise awareness and funds in-store through the sale of dedicated Butterfly branded accessories. Sportsgirl’s vision is for a world where women feel empowered and love themselves fiercely. Their #BETHATGIRL campaign embodies this; encouraging young people to embrace themselves and feel strong in their identity – whatever it may be. Models used are diverse and atypical, and all images are free of retouching. Campaigns like this help to promote body acceptance by communicating realistic depictions of women, with the ambition of improving their perception of the body.

And why do they do this? Because, when a young person is worrying about their body image they can also be experiencing low self-esteem and self-acceptance. Beyond this, the costs of body dissatisfaction can be far-reaching and long-lasting. Body dissatisfaction is a known risk factor for the development of eating disorders. Eating disorders are serious and complex mental health illnesses with severe physical consequences.

It’s clear that more needs to be done to change harmful attitudes on perceived body image to ensure our young people are champions of self-love, self-confidence, and health. We must change attitudes about what we value in society. Initiatives like Love Your Body Week are crucial in creating this change in conversation.

In order to make significant, meaningful progress, we must increase funding for research into eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. This research should focus on preventative measures, as well as better treatments aimed at sustainable recovery.

The Department of Health tells us that from 2008 to 2017, funding through the National health and Medical Research Council for research into eating disorders was just $14.7 million total. Government funding for research for eating disorders is only around $1.10 per affected individual.

An eating disorder round table in Brisbane.

It’s simply not enough. Eating disorder experts have made it clear to me that when competing with other areas of mental health research; eating disorders continue to be left behind.

It’s imperative that the community and all levels of Government work together to address social and cultural norms that contribute to body dissatisfaction, especially among young people.

Together, we can create environments where people of all demographics feel comfortable and confident in their bodies. Where health, diversity, and self-love is celebrated, where we stop judging people for how they look. And, most importantly, we stop placing value on how people look.

Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact Butterfly’s National Helpline on 1800 ED HOPE (33 4673). For urgent support, call Lifeline 13 11 14.

This piece was originally posted on whimn

In 2017, Australian schools became $17 billion worse off under the Turnbull-Morrison Government. Locally, Brisbane Water Secondary College campuses at Umina and Woy Woy suffered the brunt of this, with a staggering $1.8 million wiped from their budget.

Retired teacher, Christopher Wiffen, who taught secondary mathematics on the Central Coast for 29 years, knows this negligent cut will seriously hurt our kids on the Coast, and our region as a whole.

“In an age where we should be making schools a place where a student is valued, and protected all the time”, Mr Wiffen sighs, “They do this”.

Support for Fair Funding outside Erina High School

Earlier this year, peak union body, ACTU identified the Central Coast as one of twenty areas nationally with an unacceptably high rate of youth unemployment, at 18.6%.

The link between lower education standards and youth unemployment rates is undeniable.

Mr Wiffen believes school is a time not only for students to learn, but to flourish and develop passions that will see them succeed in the workforce, and indeed, in society.

“We should prioritise the fact that if you want to solve society’s problems, you have to make a student feel valued, nurtured, protected. You can’t do that in the bigger schools.”

While the Turnbull-Morrison Government propagates the ineffectiveness and financial burden of smaller class sizes, teachers think otherwise.

“The secret is to make schools smaller”, says Wiffen, “Decreasing class sizes so that teachers can be more effective” is key to over-coming education obstacles and ensuring optimal outcomes.

Experts also have something to say on the benefits of smaller class sizes.

A cross-sectional analysis of studies of classroom size and learning outcomes demonstrated students in smaller-sized classes were more attentive to their classwork and more likely to participate in group discussion. In turn, teachers were able to provide more individualised encouragement, mentoring, and counselling to their students.

Currently, Australian primary school classes average at 24 students per classroom, 3 more students than the OECD average of 21. It’s not just our class sizes that don’t measure up, it’s our spending, too. Total public spending on education in Australia is at just 3.9% of GDP, well below the OECD average of 4.4%.

One of the many Central Coast schools left out in the cold after funding cuts

The solution to the youth unemployment epidemic on the Central Coast isn’t reducing resources at their local schools. It’s a reinvestment in their education and their educators.

Schools deserve appropriate funding to adequately equip their teachers and students however they see fit; whether it is up-skilling staff, improving facilities, or striving for a better teacher to student ratio.

Bilateral learning program, Advancement Via Individual Determination, more commonly known as AVID, has suffered at the hands of recent education cuts. AVID connects selected students at participating secondary schools with University students to foster learning, and inspire tertiary aspirations.

Without federally funded assistance, institutes struggle to participate in this program. The University of Newcastle previously had great success with AVID, however, after substantial changes to university and education funding, Vice-Chancellor and President at the university Caroline McMillen, has decreed it’s no longer feasible without federal funding.

It’s clear we need to commit to children on the Central Coast, their future, and the future of Australia. That’s why a Shorten Labor Government has pledged to restore every dollar of the 17 billion that the Turnbull-Morrison Government has taken away from Australian schools. Less money for big banks and big business, and more money for schools and education.

Take action here: https://www.alp.org.au/investinschools

Senator O’NEILL (New South Wales) (16:38): I am pleased to be able to participate in this afternoon’s MPI, moved by Senator Siewert, about the need for the federal government to take a stronger, more active and direct role in the regulation of harmful and predatory gambling. I want to take the opportunity to put on the record just how powerful the sharing of life experiences from older adult Australians with younger children can be as an interrupter to the sorts of behaviours that we are seeking to discuss here today. People fall into gambling addiction because there are harmful and predatory practices in this industry.

I recall living as a young girl on Targo Road in Western Sydney, not very far from the Pendle Hill Catholic Club, where there was a wonderful woman I was very proud to know—one of those adoptive aunts. Her name was Gwen Carroll. She was a great nurse. She came from Toowoomba. She moved to Sydney and worked at Crown Street. She delivered thousands of babies, had a great social conscience, married a lovely Irishman and became a part of our family.

Aunty Gwen worked at the Pendle Hill Catholic club, and one evening we went to pick her up and bring her home. She had plates of food she was carrying out, and instead of getting into the car she gave the plates of food to a man who put them into his car. It was leftover food from the club. When she got into the car for us to give her a lift home, I asked her what was going on. I was a very impressionable eight-year-old at the time. She said, ‘Well, that man hasn’t got enough money left to feed his family,’ because he’d gambled it away on poker machines in that club. To this day I applaud her social conscience and her practical action to deal with the issue for that family, but it’s a few years since I was eight, and here we are discussing this matter still. Gambling is a significant social problem for far too many Australians.

Now, as a mother of 20-somethings, I know that the culture amongst many young Australians at this time is one in which rabid social advertising is drawing them more and more into the world of gambling, to the point where addiction to gambling is absolutely increasing. Just this week, there was an amazing article, in my view, which was related to the royal commission. You might say, ‘Well, what’s that got to do with harmful and predatory gambling?’ But I will take the part of the MPI about ‘a stronger and more active direct role in the regulation’. We need to think about where people are getting money and free access to money. The story that I want to cite was written by consumer affairs reporter Sarah Farnsworth and the ABC Specialist Reporting Team’s Naomi Selvaratnam. It was uploaded two days ago, and it’s in the public domain. The caption under the photo of a young man is:

By the time he was 20, Mitchell Spiteri was placing daily bets on gambling websites.

The article goes on to note:

“As of February 17, laws banning gambling companies from giving credit to people will come into effect”

But it also indicates that this young man, despite his full profile of spending being available to his bank, was still approved for a $25,000 loan when he was at the peak of his addiction.

So we have a long, long way to go in creating a context for a punt—and let’s face it: Australians really make the best of that, particularly on Melbourne Cup Day, and the whole of the racing industry, to a degree, really relies on the entertainment value of horseracing and the dogs et cetera, and there are many other forms of betting that people do manage in moderation. But the context in which we live right now is one that Labor acknowledges is very concerning from the point of view that the growth in gambling advertising and online betting, including sports betting, is just rampant.

We recognise, as a party, that well-regulated gambling absolutely has a place in Australian society. I’ve only got five minutes, so I won’t tell you about the wonderful times I had going to Royal Randwick with my family, including my father, seeing and enjoying the races. People there were having a great day. But we are concerned because times have changed and the growth of digital technology, including smartphones, allows Australians to wager and gamble whenever and wherever they choose, so social protections that once might have existed no longer exist. We’re in a digital age. We can’t change that. It’s an age of rapid change with regard to technology. Pretty well all of us have at least one handheld device; many of us have multiple devices. Smartphones allow us to do remarkable things, including going to the MoneySmart website, and I’m sure the MoneySmart website from ASIC would have some good guidance for young people who want to think about managing their money. It’s not the technology that is flawed but what we’re allowing to happen with it and within it. It’s important that we acknowledge that the new technological realities have increased the likelihood of problem gambling. We simply cannot deny that that’s the reality.

Labor also believes that the advertising of legitimate sports bets can and should be well regulated, with appropriate harm-minimisation measures in place to protect children against problem gambling. This is because, as I started to recount in my opening remarks, we know that gambling in our community can in some cases have devastating consequences not just for the individual but for their family—social consequences, financial consequences and emotional consequences that don’t remain with the individual whose choice it is but are transferred by their connection to others, to entire families, and can race through entire communities in small regional areas.

Research undertaken by Deakin University gives us this vital information in very digestible form and points out that there are a number of very concerning issues with regard to children in particular and gambling advertising on television. Deakin found that over 90 per cent of children can recall having seen an advertisement for sports betting. That’s pretty much market saturation of a youth market. Three-quarters of children aged eight to 16 years can recall the name of at least one sports betting brand and approximately one-quarter can recall four brands or more. So when 75 per cent of children think gambling is normal, to the point that it’s part of something that they can just name off the top of their head, it shows you the level of exposure that our entire community is being subjected to. Parents who participated in that survey and study from Deakin University also conveyed their concerns, including that gambling advertising is so prevalent that it’s changing the way kids think about sport and talk about sport.

All the language that we use arrives into our world in a context—and this is not a context that exists in every country around the world but it is certainly the reality that we confront right now. That’s why Labor has continued to maintain a very strong stance to ensure that appropriate harm minimisation measures are in place and that we protect and assist our community. It was Labor, when in government, that commissioned the Productivity Commission report to update its previous report on the gambling industry in Australia. And it was Labor that rejected recommendations to water down Australia’s online gaming laws until harm minimisation strategies were adopted. It is a while since we were in government—sadly. We’ve been watching the demise of so many important parts of the fabric of our society. When we were in government we understood this was an issue, and we led the introduction of new rules to limit the promotion of betting odds and gambling advertising during live sports broadcasts on both television and radio because we know that what kids hear and see has an impact on them. We are listening to the concerns people in our community have around gambling.

I go back to that memory of a single conversation as an eight-year-old in a car park at Pendle Hill. The context that you grow up in, the kinds of words and stories that people tell you and the way you understand how the world works will have an impact on your behaviour. I have to say that I became very cautious about what gambling might do. It doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed the odd bet from time to time but, I’m very glad to say, gambling addiction has never come close. But this is a reality that needs to be considered and the government needs to take some responsibility for the context in which gambling addiction is on the rise.