It's been a very busy couple of weeks in the Macarthur electorate, especially for those with an interest in health related matters, with visits from the Special Envoy for Men's Health and member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi; the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator Jenny McAllister, and the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride. And we've had a great time.
Firstly, Minister McAllister joined me to meet with the terrific teams at Macarthur Disability Services and the Campbelltown Arts Centre's Little Orange Studio. We began our day at Little Orange Studio, which provides services for people with disabilities, including people with hearing loss, vision impairment, intellectual disability and autism. The arts centre not only provides a space for these creative individuals, whose artwork you can find proudly on display and for sale in the arts centre shop, but also gives lessons in art and in social engagement. It's a great service for the people of Macarthur with disabilities.
We then visited the incredible team at Macarthur Disability Services at their Campbelltown office. I've worked with MDS for the last 40 years. They have a long and continuing track record in providing supports for people with disabilities to get into the workforce and train in a whole range of areas, working in hospitality, factories, transport et cetera. MDS have done a great job for many years. They have worked with patients of mine with disability, ensuring they can get into the workforce once they leave school, and I'm very proud of their work. MDS now have an array of centres around Macarthur which enable those living with a disability to learn very important skills and supports. The minister and I were treated to some terrific cups of coffee made by their in-house cafe team, who learn barista service and waiting skills, helping them gain experience to take into the world of hospitality. I thank Minister McAllister for her visit.
The assistant minister for mental health, Emma McBride, then visited the soon-to-be-completed Medicare mental health centre in the heart of Campbelltown, the first of its kind in our region. It's an incredibly important initiative which will allow people to get walk-in access to mental health care. It will form an important link between our hospital services and people in the community with mental health issues, providing services at a time and place where people can access them. The centre is going to be staffed with social workers, nurses, peer support workers and mental health workers and will have access to psychiatry services et cetera. It's very close to Campbelltown station and very close to our hospital. And it gets even better—it will provide free walk-in mental health services across the board and across the age spectrum, including for children, adolescents and adults. It's a big win for Macarthur, as individuals of all ages, incomes and backgrounds will be able to access care.
Last week we welcomed the Special Envoy for Men's Health and expert beard grower Dan Repacholi. I was a bit taken aback when we were up on the stage, talking to the students, and Dan told them that if I'd eaten my vegetables when I was a kid I would be as tall as him! He provided those kids, as well as their teachers and parents, with a great insight into men's health—how it starts in childhood and how they can have healthy bodies and healthy minds in the future. Dan's role is unfortunately increasingly important as men of all ages struggle with mental health and physical health. We need to make sure our kids are well prepared for the adult life that they will face. The kids loved it. Also, beforehand, we met with Leigh Ninham, a local Campbelltown champion of men's health, who runs our Mr Perfect barbecues on weekends to help men with mental health issues get out of the house and into social interaction and supports in our community.
It was a great week for Macarthur. I really thank both the ministers and Dan for coming to my electorate. We had great fun, but we also were able to deliver some really important services to the Macarthur electorate which I'm very proud of. I thank St Gregory's College for having us there. I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did. It's a really great sign that the Albanese government is serving the community. (Time expired)
