EP7 - Senator Anne Urquhart - the 2019 Senate Report 'People behind 000'

Heart 2 Heart Walk Podcast

EP7 - Senator Anne Urquhart - OUT NOW! #nevergiveup

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This episode of the Heart 2 Heart Walk Podcast was recorded in the Australian Parliament office of the Senate Chief Whip - Senator Anne Urquhart. Now this title might make you think of an emotionless politician enforcing the rules of the senate, however nothing can be further than the truth. First Responders will be hard pressed to find a more supportive, compassionate advocate for their cause, let alone having that person as the Chief Whip of the Senate.

We sit down in the Senators office and talk about all things 2019 Senate Inquiry report 'The people behind 000: Mental health of our first responders' of which Senator Urquhart was the driving force to establish and deliver. True to her motto, #nevergiveup, Senator Urquhart has not let dust settle on this report, and is continuing to champion change through actioning this report she was instrumental in establishing with Simone Haigh ASM. The Senate Report is available here. The Beyond Blue report; Answering the Call is available here.

We talk about some important elements of the Senate Report that is the centre of the cause behind the Heart 2 Heart Walk 2023, including the recognition that some workers compensation systems for people affected by their First Responder roles are likened to a merry-go-round. We also talk about Senator Jacqui Lambie, Simone Haigh ASM, Due South Tasmania, Dr Dan Pronk and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.

With my anxiety off the charts on the day arriving at Parliament House, as I was packing my recording gear in the carpark into my bag, I forgot some critical components of the recording gear. However as any seasoned first responder would do, I had packed a backup kit consisting of my field recording gear that I am planning to use during the walk which is what we used on the day, so please excuse the audio quality! I did my best, but PTSD is hard to manage some days....

Senator Anne Urquhart was truly amazing with the H2HWalk Podcast team, and a big shout out to her team - Lennie & Bronwyn that made this possible.