Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Rural mental health

Joe McCRACKEN (Western Victoria) (18:42): (789) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Mental Health. It particularly relates to farmers and their mental health. Recently I attended the premiere of a movie called Just a Farmer, which was in Ararat in my electorate, and it stars and it was produced by a local named Leila McDougall. I want to acknowledge Leila McDougall for her tremendous work in putting together a Hollywood-style movie. That is the level that it is at, despite it being funded by a collection of great supporters of the rural community. It is certainly on par with something you would see as a blockbuster release in Hollywood, despite the fact that the subject matter is obviously very, very different and very, very close to a lot of our hearts here in country Victoria.

The action that I seek is for the minister to meet with me and Leila and other rural mental health advocates to talk about the real impacts that a lot of farmers face and continue to face when the reality of farming is very, very different to what it was some time ago. In particular, things that are faced are challenges like wind farms and how they can tear apart rural communities which have been very close in the past. Transmission lines have been a big, big challenge that have forced a lot of farmers into a very difficult space and caused a lot of struggle. But the ongoing viability of many farming operations and excess regulation and a duopoly in the supermarket sector have had an incredible impact on how farmers operate and indeed whether some farmers continue to carry on or not.

I really want to commend and congratulate Leila not just for producing a world-class film but for raising the issue of rural farmers’ mental health. It is extremely important that we do not forget this. Farmers are the lifeblood of our country communities. They are the presidents of local footy clubs; they contribute on a Saturday morning on the sausage stalls; they serve on the show society committees. They are givers, and they also feed us and clothe us. They are remarkable, resilient people. For such pressure that farmers are under, I think this often goes ignored, and I really, really do want to thank Leila for shining a very unique light on that. I hope that if everyone has the chance to, they can go and see the film Just a Farmer, which has been released recently.