Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Thadam

Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (16:22): I wish to congratulate Thadam on the successful recent launch of their unique and important mental health information and advocacy service which they launched in Parliament House just last sitting week, and I note that the Minister for Mental Health also joined in that special evening. Thadam aims to break down stigma within the Tamil community concerning mental health, raise awareness through education and engage and empower the community about mental health and wellbeing. This caring, energetic and visionary group began their work in New South Wales and have now expanded to Victoria. The launch was attended by members of the Tamil community who spoke about how important services like these were.

I wish Thadam was around when I was growing up in Melbourne. Our families and friends navigated this strange new world as migrants as best we could, but not without our stumbles and setbacks at times. Our Tamil community is strong and resilient, and we have had to be. Many of the diaspora community here are survivors of war and trauma. We have endured the journey and upheaval of migration, and many are parents who are trying to adapt to a new culture and place themselves at the same time as trying to help their children cope and adapt to the change. For those that arrived here as young people, many are now dealing with the inevitable aftermath of growing up being and feeling very different and all that adjustment that comes with settlement. That is why services like Thadam are just so important – they offer so much hope to our community that more people can be supported as they navigate their sometimes complicated life paths, that they will feel seen, heard and understood and that it might help them understand that what they are feeling is normal and can be surmounted. It was an honour to be part of this special evening to launch Thadam in Melbourne, and we look forward to supporting and amplifying their work wherever we can.