National Multicultural Mental Health Month

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (16:18): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that October is National Multicultural Mental Health Month;

2. Notes that Multicultural Mental Health Month celebrates the rich cultural diversity of Australia while promoting mental health awareness and support within multicultural communities;

3. Recognises that many Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are subject to the stigmatisation of mental health, racism and discrimination, stresses of migration and adjustment to a new country, trauma exposure before migration, barriers to the utilisation of their skills and education, loss of close family bonds and language barriers;

4. Acknowledges the importance of equal access to mental health services for all Australians; and

5. Commends the many South Australian individuals and organisations who work to destigmatise mental health issues in multicultural communities and provide culturally appropriate care.

I am pleased to be able to bring this motion before the parliament today in recognition of Mental Health Month, which is celebrated during October. Multicultural Mental Health Month celebrates the cultural diversity of Australia, while promoting mental health awareness and support within multicultural communities. It is fair to say that we live in a world that is more accepting, informed and open about mental health than it has ever been before. However, the unique struggles that multicultural groups face in Australia are often under-represented when we talk about mental health.

Australia is a proudly multicultural country, made up of people from more than 200 nations around the planet; 30 per cent of our population migrated here and almost half of all Australians are either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas. In South Australia we acknowledge the contributions migrant communities have made to our state, and we love celebrating their culture, cuisine and languages. During my time in this role so far I have been blessed to be able to celebrate and share in the culture of so many different communities, something I am sure everyone in this chamber has had the opportunity to do in their role as a member of the parliament. There is so much to appreciate, and there is so much colour, music and life to get carried away by. The night ends with smiling faces and good memories of kind people who are rightly proud of their culture.

But the essence of multiculturalism and interculturalism extends beyond admiring one culture or cuisine. It goes deeper than attending a party or festival. These values encompass understanding and respect, and if we really want to understand we need to go beneath the surface. We need to allow people to share their stories, and not all those stories will be pleasant. They are sometimes stories of struggles, of trauma, of discrimination and injustice. We want our migrants and refugee communities to feel at home in Australia and to continue enriching our society. For this to happen we need to understand the unique challenges our migrant and refugee communities are faced with.

It takes enormous courage to start a life in a new country, whether you come as a refugee or a migrant. New arrivals to the country often experience a period of culture shock as they adjust to the new environment. A feeling of disorientation and anxiety arises because people must cope with a different language, unwritten rules of behaviour, social structures, political and legislative processes and other aspects of daily life. While the culture shock is not permanent, the period of adjustment can be extremely difficult and cause a significant amount of stress.

As the new arrivals learn the language and adapt to life in Australia other challenges will reveal themselves. They may have to deal with unemployment and limited opportunities to fully utilise their professional skills. They may have to deal with the lack of access to education, services or suitable housing. They may experience racism and discrimination. They will experience pain from separation from their friends and family that remain in their country of origin.

Children and young people may face a change in their family dynamic as they become more proficient in Australian society than their parents. This has the potential to create a generational conflict for both parents and child. If the person who has migrated has come from a conflict or trauma background they must find a way to process that on top of all the new stressors that come with adapting to a new culture. And all these pressures can lead to poor mental health.

Many of these mental health issues will go unaddressed due to barriers to access proper and appropriate care, barriers that include greater stigma around mental illness in some communities, language barriers, cultural misunderstandings and limited knowledge of mental health and available services when compared with the Australian-born population.

As a direct result of this Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are over-represented in involuntary admissions and acute inpatient units. Once there, these Australians are at risk of misunderstanding and misdiagnosis, often because of language and cultural barriers. Although progress has certainly been made in recent years the reality remains that migrant communities are often underserved by mental health services.

Our mental health systems have some mechanisms to promote cultural responsiveness, but we still have limited ways to determine if there have been improvements in mental health outcomes for multicultural communities over time. There are also considerable gaps in data and information on the prevalence of mental illness in people from multicultural backgrounds. National Multicultural Mental Health Month gives us another opportunity to reflect as a society on how we can come together, reduce stigma and promote inclusive mental health services for all.

During my time in parliament I have had the opportunity to meet with community-led organisations and individuals who with different approaches advocate to inform existing policies and deliver programs that tackle the stigma of mental health within our multicultural communities. This positive work is being done by people in the community who understand diverse needs. They are responsive to the problems they see around them. They make me hopeful for the future.

As a token of appreciation, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work of some of the groups and individuals. The Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia have been serving the ever-changing needs of migrant communities since 1949 through different programs, initiatives and advocacy. The Australian Migrant Resource Centre has helped over 150,000 migrants to adjust to life in Australia since 1979. They help migrants to become independent and develop links within the broader South Australian community. This is a powerful way to help combat alienation and isolation.

Supporting survivors of torture and trauma is STTARS, which provides culturally sensitive services to promote the health and wellbeing of those who have suffered torture or refugee-related trauma prior to their arrival in Australia. Multicultural Aged Care advocates and informs community, business and government about culturally appropriate aged care. As our population ages, so too do our multicultural citizens. Conditions such as dementia are on the rise. It is essential that older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can access an equal standard of care.

One Culture promotes inclusion through sports. They empower people of all cultures and abilities to participate in their local communities. They use sport to bring people closer together to combat antisocial behaviour and isolation. The positive outcome of their programs on multicultural youth is incredible, and the good vibes and energy of their events cannot be matched.

Another organisation I have had the pleasure of meeting recently is Mariposa Trails. Mariposa Trails promotes wellbeing and mental health through a cross-cultural approach and are dedicated to suicide prevention. They work by the motto: 'We are all vulnerable at different times. We are all teachers and students at different times.' They build capacity within the community to deal with the issues directly affecting the community through diverse and innovative programs.

During Multicultural Mental Health Month, Mariposa Trails hold a morning of workshops called the Alegria Festival, which I was fortunate to be able to attend this year. I witnessed firsthand how they create an atmosphere of warmth and safety where it is easy to laugh and open up. They use art therapy, dance, movement and music to create a shared experience where people feel safe enough to ask for the help they need and start to address their trauma.

Last but not least, we have no shortage of wonderful individuals who are working in research and private practice to serve members of our multicultural communities. One such person is Professor Tahereh Ziaian, whose research on cross-cultural mental health and youth settlements provides a platform for policymakers and practitioners to better understand the settlement experience. Her research addresses key questions regarding the intersection of migration, settlement and wellbeing.

Professor Ziaian and her team of researchers at UniSA know what to ask and how to ask it. Her research ensures that we have better information to help us inform policy decisions and programs in the future and improve the responsiveness of services. All of these groups and people demonstrate the importance of having multicultural voices at the table to help guide and inform the policy and services that will assist them.

If you asked Professor Tahereh about what drives her, she would say that it is the desire to leave the world a better place than she found it for the young people who are coming after her. I think that is an inspiration we can all relate to in this place. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E. Hood.