"Dad's gone, Dad's gone!" — Julian Leeser MP on his maiden speech, RUOK Day and his father's suicide, Canberra, 2016

In 2016, Julian Leeser was elected as the Liberal member for Berowra, an electorate comprising suburbs and bush north of Sydney. His maiden speech to parliament delivered 14th of September 2016 was shared around the world, as it told the story of the death of his father to suicide. He spoke about the tragedy of that day, and also what needs to be done in Australia on the suicide prevention and mental health fronts. RUOK Day embraced his 'signs' message as the theme of the 2017 campaign. This episode is being released on RUOK Day 2021, and Leeser discusses the mental health strain related to the pandemic and lockdowns. Julian also discusses federalism and the Australian Constitution, as well as his support for 'voice' proposals for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition in the document. Australians seeking support and information about suicide prevention contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. There are equivalent services in most countries. Tony talks about the death by suicide of his best man, Chris Daffey. That episode of the podcast is here. Speakola now has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth or as much as $20/mth. If it's easier, we also welcome donations in any format and any size, recurring or one off. If you're a regular listener, you can give Tony a financial kick along so he can keep making it! Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme. Episode supported by GreenSkin™ and PurpleSkin™ avocados at https://greenskinavocados.com.au/. Our new sponsor is the Podcast Reader magazine. Email and mention Speakola for a free copy of the latest edition as pdf. Tony's books are available at https://www.tonywilsonauthor.com/ Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.