A letter prompted by The Examiner’s reporting for R U OK? Day, 11 September 2026

To the people of Launceston,

Let’s keep asking R U OK? Those conversations matter. Noticing that somebody is struggling, asking the question, listening properly and helping them find support can make an enormous difference.

I also believe we should keep moving upstream and ask a broader question: what kind of community makes it easier for people to be okay in the first place?

Throughout my community service career, I have sought to build the capacity of adults around vulnerable people to recognise distress and respond. I still believe deeply in that work. Clinical care, counselling, crisis lines, GPs, psychologists, schools, community organisations and suicide prevention programs all matter.

But distress does not occur in a social vacuum. Loneliness, poverty, violence, housing insecurity, unemployment, discrimination, grief, trauma, family breakdown, cultural disconnection and a loss of purpose or hope can all shape the circumstances surrounding a person’s life. Suicide is complex, but the wider conditions of life matter too.

That is where I believe local government has a role.

What could Council do?

Local government is the level of government closest to everyday community life. Council has its hands on our parks and paths, swimming pools, sporting grounds, halls, community facilities, festivals, public spaces and neighbourhoods. It supports recreation, volunteering, culture, community organisations and many of the places where people meet.

That gives Council a practical opportunity to make participation and belonging easier.

We could create more low-cost, low-barrier ways for people to join community life through recreation, volunteering, mentoring, gardens, neighbourhood gatherings and cultural celebrations. Opportunities where people can turn up, contribute something, meet others and gradually become known.

Cost matters. A healthy city needs opportunities to participate that do not depend on having much money. Community life should be available regardless of what is left in the bank, not only to those who can afford memberships, tickets, equipment and fees.

Active belonging

There is a difference between being present somewhere and belonging there. You can stand in a crowd of hundreds and still feel completely alone.

Belonging grows through recognition, relationships and contribution. Somebody knows your name. Somebody expects you. Somebody values what you bring. Somebody notices when you do not turn up.

That changes the question from, “How do we create another program for lonely people?” to, “How do we create many easy doors into ordinary community life?”

Someone might marshal at parkrun, coach a junior team, share gardening skills, welcome newcomers, run the barbecue, mentor a young person or help organise a local event. The activity may be secondary. What matters is the pathway into relationships, purpose and contribution.

My prevention-first work keeps returning to this point. Belonging, social connection, contribution and participation help protect long-term wellbeing. A vibrant city should be filled with easy ways for people to join in.

Measure whether people belong

Council can also ask whether this work is making a difference. We measure roads, budgets, waste, development applications and asset conditions because those things matter. We should also want to know whether people feel connected to their neighbourhood, participate in community life or feel that they belong.

My book, The State of Our Most Vulnerable People 2027 identifies local data gaps around belonging, loneliness, trusted adults, community connection and participation. That is one reason my election platform proposes a regular Launceston Community Wellbeing Survey.

What we measure influences what we notice, and what we notice influences what we choose to do.

Nobody does this alone

None of this replaces R U OK?, Lifeline, mental health services, suicide prevention programs or the work already happening across our community. It complements that work.

The State Government carries the major responsibility for mental health services and statewide suicide prevention. The Commonwealth holds major health, income security and economic levers. Community organisations, schools, sporting clubs, neighbourhood houses, Aboriginal organisations, cultural communities, volunteers and people with lived experience all hold essential pieces.

Council’s contribution is different. It can help create the civic conditions in which relationships form. It can convene people, support community organisations, make public spaces more welcoming, lower barriers to participation and help neighbourhoods organise.

Roads matter, rates matter and rubbish matters. Relationships matter too.

Ask the question, then keep going upstream

So yes, let’s keep asking R U OK? Let’s become better at noticing when someone is struggling, more confident about beginning the conversation and more willing to listen to the answer.

But let’s also ask what kind of city surrounds that person every day.

Could Launceston become a city of a thousand small opportunities to participate, contribute and belong? A city where our clubs, events, neighbourhoods and public places do more than bring people into the same space. They help bring people into one another’s lives.

R U OK? reminds us of the power of one meaningful conversation. Our task as a community is to create more opportunities for those conversations to happen and more places where people can find connection, contribution, purpose and belonging.

Let’s keep asking the question, and let’s keep working together to build lives worth staying for.

paul mallett

Candidate for Mayor and Councillor
City of Launceston
vibrantnation.au

If this post raises concerns for you or someone you know, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor/Saree,

R U OK? Day reminds us of something simple but important: noticing that somebody is struggling, asking the question, listening properly and helping them find support can make an enormous difference.

We should keep doing that. But I also believe we should keep moving upstream and ask another question: what kind of community makes it easier for people to be okay in the first place?

Throughout my community service career, I have worked to strengthen the capacity of people around those who are vulnerable to recognise distress and respond. Clinical care, counselling, crisis lines, GPs, psychologists, schools, community organisations and suicide prevention programs all matter enormously. But distress does not occur in a social vacuum. Loneliness, poverty, violence, housing insecurity, unemployment, grief, trauma, discrimination, cultural disconnection and a loss of purpose or hope can all shape the circumstances surrounding a person’s life.

That is where I believe local government has a practical role. Council is not a mental health service, but it is a placemaker. It has its hands on our parks and paths, swimming pools, sporting grounds, halls, community facilities, festivals, public spaces and neighbourhoods. It supports recreation, volunteering, culture and many of the places where people meet one another.

Council can help make belonging easier.

That could mean more low-cost and low-barrier opportunities for people to participate in community life: community gardens, walking and running groups, neighbourhood gatherings, street parties, cultural celebrations, volunteering, mentoring and community recreation. Places where people can turn up, contribute something, meet others and gradually become known.

The important word is contribute. There is a difference between attending something and belonging to it. Belonging grows when somebody knows your name, expects you, values what you bring and notices when you do not turn up. Someone can marshal at parkrun, coach a junior team, share gardening skills, welcome newcomers, mentor a young person or help organise a local event. These are ordinary activities, but they create relationships, purpose and what I call active belonging.

Cost matters too. A healthy city that cares needs plenty of opportunities to participate regardless of what somebody has left in the bank. Community life cannot belong only to people who can afford memberships, tickets, equipment and fees.

I would also like Council to measure whether people actually feel connected. My proposed Community Wellbeing Survey would ask about belonging, loneliness, participation and community connection alongside the traditional measures of city performance. If we care about whether people feel part of their community, we should be willing to ask the question and track whether we are improving.

None of this replaces R U OK?, Lifeline, mental health services or suicide prevention programs. It complements them. State and federal governments carry the major responsibility for mental health care, while community organisations, schools, sporting clubs, neighbourhood houses, Aboriginal organisations, cultural communities, volunteers and people with lived experience all hold essential pieces.

Council’s contribution is to help create the civic conditions in which connection can grow. Roads matter, rates matter and rubbish matters. Relationships matter too.

Could Launceston become a city of a thousand small opportunities to participate, contribute and belong? Let’s keep asking the question, and let’s keep working together to build lives worth staying for.