From: Michael Barnett
Date: 13 July 2015 at 03:20
Subject: An urgent message about the mental health of youth in Forrest
To: “Nola Marino (MP for Forrest)” <nola.marino.mp@aph.gov.au>
Dear Ms Marino,
In February 2008 you addressed the Parliament of Australia and spoke proudly of how you would represent the people of Forrest to the best of your ability:
I rise to make my first speech with a mixture of pride and honour, because I have been chosen by the people of Forrest to be their voice in federal parliament. I acknowledge and thank them for their vote of confidence in my ability to represent them…
You said that members of the community must look out for each other’s best interests and in doing so this will strengthen the community:
As in most small towns, it is necessary for local people and families to work together to make sure that the community functions effectively. It does not happen on its own.
In speaking of your parents you fondly reminisced how they instilled in you a commitment to your community and the importance of family:
But they both instilled in me a hard work ethic, strong family values and an absolute commitment to the broader community.
With wisdom you told of what and who politics is really about for you:
Politics is about people. I entered politics to be of further service to the people of Forrest.
and you reminded Australians that you will do your utmost for the people of Forrest:
I will provide them with emphatic and strong representation here in Canberra.
In summation, you reiterated these values, because they are so very important to you:
Finally, I need once again to acknowledge and thank the people of Forrest for their support. To them, I say this: you can be assured that I will be ‘focused on Forrest’ and that I will continue to work tirelessly on your behalf as your voice in this parliament.
In October 2012, some four and a half years later, you issued a statement on mental health. In it you revealed some alarming facts linking mental health to suicide:
This is because of the awful truth that mental illness is a major contributor to suicide. Research shows us that people with mental illness like depression, bipolar or schizophrenia are seven times more likely to end their life than people who do not suffer from mental illness.
You spoke of how so many young people experience depression and that you welcome initiatives to help them:
Depression is the most common disorder which affects four per cent of the general population. More tragic, however, is that about 160,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 live with depression each year, which is why I welcome headspace in my electorate.
Clearly this is an important issue to you:
It is something I campaigned strongly for in the run to the election and have ever since.
I note that you acknowledge that family problems exist alongside these young people who experience depression:
Young people who suffer depression are also usually suffering from other problems in their lives such as drugs, alcohol and family problems.
You relate the profound effect of suicide in small communities:
Everyone is impacted when suicide occurs—family, friends and the wider community, particularly in small regional communities.
The inescapable reality is that a percentage of youth in Forrest will be same-sex attracted and/or gender-diverse. There is an understood link between poor mental health outcomes for these people and any discrimination they face:
Same-sex attracted Australians are more likely to experience below-average health outcomes including higher levels of depression, due to this prejudice and discrimination. The statistics are particularly alarming for younger and newly-identifying LGBTI people who have consistently higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, early school leaving, conflict with peers and parents and suicide ideation, all directly related to the discrimination and prejudice they experience.[v]
http://www.glhv.org.au/files/writing_themselves_in_again.pdf
Only a week ago you reiterated your strong opposition to changing the law in favour of marriage equality. Hearing this leaves me confused by the disconnect in your messages.
On the one hand you speak of how important representing the best interests of the people in Forrest is to you, how family and community mean so much to you, how committed you are to your job and your people, how serious the issue of youth mental health is and how mental health and depression is so strongly linked to suicide.
Yet on the other hand you say that young same-sex attracted and gender diverse people can’t aspire to get married like their heterosexual gender binary siblings and friends can, you say the families of these people can’t share in the joy of seeing their children get married and can’t invite their friends, family and colleagues to their weddings, and how you wish to deny the children of same-sex couples living in Forrest the right to have married parents, just like the parents of their school mates and friends.
With the clear link between discrimination against same-sex attracted & gender diverse people and mental health issues, and with your understanding of how mental health issues can rip apart families and communities, especially in places like Forrest, it makes no sense to me why you are opposed to a reform that has the potential to benefit the best interests of the people of Forrest, the very people you promised your utmost to.
If you care about the people of Forrest as much as you claim, and I believe you genuinely do, then I urge you to reevaluate your stance on marriage equality, understand that it will not force people of faith to do anything they oppose, that it will help reduce risk factors leading to depression and suicide, and that ultimately it will contribute to a healthier, happier and more productive community.
Those people in Forrest who urge you to oppose marriage equality also urge you to look after the well-being of their children. The reality is that by upholding the status quo in the law you are not looking after the best interests of the young people in Forrest, and that is sad. Your job is to educate the people of Forrest why their support for marriage equality is so crucial to them and their community. Not doing so will only see you fail your community and ultimately all Australians.
Sincerely,
Michael Barnett
Ashwood, Victoria.