Speeches
Thursday, 01 August 2024
Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation High Tea
It is my pleasure to join you for this High Tea in support of women’s mental health and the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.
Promoting strong mental health for all South Australians is one of Rod’s and my shared priorities during my term as Governor.
We are pleased to be joint patrons of Breakthrough, Australia’s first and only dedicated mental health research foundation.
It is a pleasure to support the mental health and wellbeing of South Australians, and we consider it a responsibility, too.
The impact of mental distress in our community cannot be overstated.
Ensuring South Australians have strong mental health, and supporting them when they encounter challenges to their mental health, are pressing issues.
To those of you who may be doctors, counsellors or lived experience practitioners; researchers, policy makers and administrators, I thank you for working to support some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
And to those who have been personally touched by mental health challenges, your own or those of someone you love or simply know, your strength and willingness to share your experiences are honoured by all of us here.
Research shows that mental distress affects as many as one in five Australians every year.
In fact, in our lifetimes, more than 80 percent of us will experience distress ourselves or be within one degree of someone who does.
I know how it feels to be within that one degree.
Growing up I had friends who experienced mental health challenges, including one friend who died by suicide while we were at university.
In our own family, immediate and extended, Rod and I know how it feels to watch someone we love struggle with mental distress, whether short-lived or ongoing, and how we much we have had to learn to be able to be genuinely supportive and not just well intentioned.
As Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I was very aware of the mental health toll experienced by the department’s workforce across the globe, especially during the height of the pandemic.
The families of DFAT employees can also experience mental health challenges – children of diplomats are commonly uprooted every three to four years, moving on to the next place. It can be a disruptive and confidence-sapping experience.
On a really positive note, most people who experience episodes of poor mental health receive treatment, recover and go on to live productive and happy lives.
As Taimi Allan, the South Australian Mental Health Commissioner has said to me - recovery is not just possible, it is probable.
This message of hope sustains Rod and me in our roles as Breakthrough’s Patrons and in other endeavours – as I hope it does you.
Women face some unique challenges in terms of our mental health.
At the societal level, while we have made significant progress towards gender equity in my lifetime, there is still a long way to go.
Domestic violence and sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and the gender pay gap, as well as expectations around body image, are all challenges to women’s wellbeing.
These issues affect our ability to feel safe in the world and to reach our potential, both of which can have dramatic effects on our mental health.
Moving through life I have been fortunate to enjoy the support of strong and caring women – my late mother and aunts, my sister, some very good friends from school days and more recent friends too.
I have had the good fortune of being able to speak honestly in these relationships and at times to receive emotional support, which I have been pleased to offer in return.
Multiple studies – including the now-famous intergenerational study by Harvard University, which followed its participants for over 80 years[1] – have shown that strong social networks are a key indicator of happiness, as well as future mental and physical health.
In 2021 I was pleased to invite some old friends from school and university to my swearing in ceremony as Governor.
I moved interstate straight after university, and although we had kept in touch over the years, we hadn’t seen each other regularly for several decades.
When we gathered afterwards, Rod encouraged everyone to stay in touch with us even though he knew our private time would be limited. And they have.
It has been one of the great joys of returning home to Adelaide after so many years away, and a reminder of the importance of friends, especially those who know us ‘before’: before our adult identities become shaped around careers, partnerships and marriage, or children.
Whatever roles you undertake in life – including my current one - things tend to work better if you have support of friends who are willing to talk about real things.
I have the great fortune of being able to say that I enjoy good mental health, and always have done, although I know that doesn’t mean I won’t experience mental distress in future.
This places me in a very privileged position, while also making it a challenge to put myself in the shoes of people who are struggling with their mental health.
In 2016, when I became Secretary of DFAT, I undertook a mental health first aid course, which I found extremely helpful in understanding what these experiences can be, and also how to help someone going through them.
It can be hard to know what to do when you think someone is struggling. It can be hard to even tell that people are struggling, especially if they are trying – for a range of potential reasons, such as fear of stigma - to conceal it.
Last month, I was in London on an official visit to the UK and, as we were driving to Heathrow airport, we passed a large billboard with the words “Are you ok mate?”.
The billboard was part of a campaign encouraging men to speak up about their mental health, and also encouraging them to reach out and support friends who might be struggling.
I share this example to highlight again the importance of reaching out to the people in our lives if they are struggling, and the importance of social networks in general.
Last year at Government House I hosted a public conversation on mental health and body image, where John Mannion, Breakthrough’s CEO, talked about just how important it is for people to check on others.
He made the comment that we can all be really busy in our lives, but when we think people might need help, it’s best not to let the opportunity pass by and regret it later.
This has stayed with me.
Breakthrough’s definition of ‘a life free from mental illness’ is the freedom to leave your home, to chase your dreams, to live your life without restrictions, to build relationships, to fall in love.
Rod and I are proud to support Breakthrough’s work as it pursues research and solutions to enable all Australians to reach their potential.
It has been our pleasure to visit the foundation, at John’s invitation, and to see first-hand the important work it is doing and to be hosts for the Big Bike Ride.
I thank Breakthrough for organising this high tea and our guests for coming along today and supporting the foundation.
I’m sure we will all learn a great deal from today’s guest speakers that we can incorporate into our daily lives, for our own benefit as well as the benefit of those around us.
I encourage you all to grow your own personal networks and make new connections, and possibly friendships, here today.
Enjoy the high tea and I look forward to working together as we continue pursuing the goal of ‘a life free from mental illness’ for all women, and indeed all South Australians.