Dear Triple Zero supporters,
Your campaign to get mental health added to the triple zero grid changes up a gear this week.
Not only have we reached nearly 30,000 signatories (18/9/20), including your own beautiful name, our country has witnessed a shocking example of highly inappropriate and damaging emergency response to someone experiencing a very normal, and very common, mental health episode.
I'm sure many of you have now seen and heard about the recent events in Melbourne around mental health callouts and police response (trigger warning). I'm deeply sorry to all those people who have signed the Triple Zero petition because you or a loved one have experienced trauma when seeking emergency assistance, and hoping to not see another person go through what you've been through.
Thank you for adding your voice to this petition.
To all those people who've signed because you just intrinsically know that police and ambulance resources aren't the experts when dealing with people in active post trauma stress, heightened mood affect, or in acute stages of mental, spiritual or emotional despair. Thank you.
What else can you do?
- You can write to your local Members of Parliament (MP's) and let them know about the idea, why you relate, and the link to the petition to show them that 30,000 people around the country agree with you.
Here's a website to find your local MP (type in your postcode):
https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Guidelines_for_Contacting_Senators_and_Members
- Contact your local community radio station and ask for an interview on a show you like. It's really easy to contact community radio, and they love local people stories.
Here's the CBAA directory (just enter in your postcode/suburb)
https://www.cbaa.org.au/station#zoom=4&lat=-26.82407&lon=134.20898&layers=BT
The best thing you can do, is keep talking/signing about mental health and triple zero. Have great robust discussions with people you know. People don't have to agree, just start the discussion.
Thanks,
Heidi