Dear Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia’s 44th Parliament

OCTOBER 10th IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY, did you know? I don’t think you take mental health seriously, do you, given its add-on status to Peter Dutton’s portfolio of Sport and Health (and we know which of those will get the lion’s share of attention). That’s spreading him thin, don’t you think? I guess you must know he’s an ex-policeman, maybe even think that’s okay – failing to grasp the distinction between sad and bad perhaps?
Your Mental Health Policy is also pretty lame – covering youth services (very important) but little else. The whole population needs attention, don’t you think, particularly given the mayhem you and your cabinet of (predominantly) white privileged blokey blokes are likely to create as you blunder and barge your way through the corridors of power.
I fear, though, you might be deluded enough to think you can “govern for all Australians” without bothering to listen to ignoramuses from the margins, but that sort of patronising paternalism is actually part of the problem, don’t you see? It’s oppressive, and OPPRESSION IS BAD FOR MENTAL HEALTH.
Don’t suppose you get it, but on the off chance you do ever decide to do things differently, there are some of those ignoramuses around who would be able and willing to help.

Best wishes for your own mental health,

Joan Beckwith, PhD.