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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-07-06 Daily Xml
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The Push-up Challenge

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (15:30): I would like to rise today first of all to wish the Adelaide Thunderbirds all the very best for the grand final they are playing in over the weekend. They are a fantastic team and have been right throughout the entire season. I would like to particularly recognise Tania Obst, who is a fantastic coach. I had the pleasure of being coached by her at the Institute of Sport, and she was very formidable. I think that everything she is doing with the team has led them to hoped-for success over the weekend. I also have some mates who are playing for the Sydney Swifts. I will absolutely be supporting the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and I will be there in spirit; I am wearing the pink and the black today. I wish them all the best and I am sure that all of us in the house do as well.

From 1 to 23 June, I participated in the Push-up Challenge. In just six short years, this has grown to be one of the largest and arguably one of the most successful mental health challenges that happens right across the nation. Other than being extraordinarily good, albeit challenging, for physical strengthening and conditioning, it also goes a long way in terms of raising awareness for those who are really struggling with mental health challenges, and we know that particularly at the moment those challenges are really significant.

The challenge raises money for three really excellent partners: Lifeline Australia, Movember and also the Push for Better Foundation. I was not the only one in this place who took part in this challenge. The Leader of the Opposition, David Speirs; and my colleagues the member for Hartley, Vincent Tarzia, and the shadow minister for mental health, Penny Pratt, the member for Frome, also joined with me to do push-ups. You have to do 3,144 push-ups over 23 days. That equates to roughly 140 push-ups a day. It was quite a challenging feat, but it is very much for a good cause.

You might ask: why is it 3,144 push-ups? Sadly, this actually reflects the number of lives lost to suicide in 2021. One great thing about the challenge is that it is all about raising awareness, and on every single day you learn something new about mental health. What became really clear to me is that no-one is untouched by the challenges of mental health. In fact, in Australia, right across the nation every 30 seconds someone reaches for Lifeline. I think that is a particularly fantastic service because it means that people can get support any time, anywhere. A service like Lifeline is really fantastic.

I was particularly lucky—or particularly diligent, I should say—because I went into the intricacies of my fundraising form and made sure that all the money I raised went to Lifeline Adelaide specifically. I raised over $2,000, which by no means was the most, but it was something. I do hope that it will make a big difference because I think all of us in this place have an obligation and also an opportunity not just to make policy decisions that can impact the lives of those who are struggling with mental health but also to do our little bit to help raise awareness.

In six years, this challenge has raised $26 million for mental health services. Over 300,000 people have done the challenge and, putting all those people together, they have done 600 million push-ups. I think that is quite remarkable because we know that the link between physical strength and mental health is a strong one. To be able to be a leader and advocate for physical strength and physical activity is really critical because it does improve people's mental health.

I would like to particularly acknowledge some of our farmers at the moment. It does not matter whether you are in the city or in the country, it does not matter what age group you are in, every single person is touched by the challenges of mental health in one way, shape or form, and for our farmers at the moment it is particularly tough. When you are on the land, it does not matter how hard you work, if the sun does not shine enough and it does not rain enough, sometimes you do not get the rewards that you are looking for, and that pushes good people to breaking point. My thoughts are with them, and I would like to thank the many organisations in my community that are doing great work to support people with mental health challenges.

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