Rachael Burns Visits Parliament House
Rachael Burns, a recent graduate of Finding North’s Lived Experience Speakers Program, reflects on her time at Parliament House in Canberra.
What does it mean to be human? Is it a title we inherit? Is it the capacity to interpret nuance? Or is it the strange and profound ability to hold our own significance and insignificance at the same time?
My experiences with mental health challenges and the turbulence they created forced me to question assumptions I once believed were truths. They taught me to examine the nature of power. They taught me that part of healing and growth lies in translating lived experience into meaningful expertise.
Around two years ago, at a youth mental health workshop at The Y HQ, I met Hayley Harris. I walked in with low expectations. I wondered what new insight I could possibly gain about mental ill-health… yet, that decision to attend opened the door to an entire professional world built on Lived Experience.
I am not ashamed to admit that I immediately began to admire her work and still do. As someone new to advocacy, Hayley became the person I looked up to most. She never viewed me as less capable. She taught me that professional titles are not a prerequisite for contributing meaningfully to systems change. My adversity held knowledge, and that knowledge had value.
Hayley embodies humanity and compassion. I remember assuming she would not remember me (after developing and carrying with me a deep belief that nobody in this world knew who I was, and honestly, this belief still lingers today). I was surprised when the next time I saw her, – months later, after exchanging a few emails but not a heap more – she walked over, greeted me warmly and gave me a hug. For one of the first times in my life, I felt seen by someone who believed in me, not for my grades or academia, but for who I was and what I was genuinely passionate about. For the first time, she saw and encouraged what mattered to ME.
When Expressions of Interest opened for the Finding North Lived Experience Speakers Program, I applied immediately. I completed the program similar to how I have many others, and as good as these courses are, usually that’s the end of the line. There is often no follow-through of ongoing support… in fact, that in itself is potentially one of my greatest fears and gripes with consultative type work – the ending
It is deeply encouraging to see and be part of a program that is different, only possible due to generous support, funding and the true commitment to Lived Experience that is needed to elevate it beyond tokenism. About a month ago, Hayley contacted me and invited me to attend Parliamentary Friends of Mental Health in Canberra as a graduate of the program and in recognition of my advocacy work to date.
This Tuesday, I boarded two flights to Canberra. In true ‘me’ fashion, I flew in style… and by that mean intently switching juggling examining frameworks, reading about politicians, managing the four remaining Integrity Initiative events for 2025, preparing for the pilot of our My Voice workshops at Consumers of Mental Health WA, planning next year’s regional work and trying not to lose track of anything. I was stretched thin (in itself a testament to the professional life I have built), but deeply eager for a full day inside Parliament House.
I have lived many lives over my 23 years (which certainly feel like more than 23). Some have involved immense pain. Some I would prefer to erase. Yet all of them form the foundation of who I am today.
I remember standing in the courtyard of Parliament House in Perth, counting the calories of muffins and juices so that I could distract myself from the mental and physical agony I was in. I never imagined that politics would ever matter to me, let alone that a highlight of my year would be a trip to Canberra. In that life, I saw politics as empty conversation, disconnected from real change. I saw no reason to engage with those who shaped a world I was struggling to remain in. They wouldn’t hear me, see me or understand me. They wouldn’t relate on any level to what I’d experienced… so what was the point?
For the record, I still prefer action over talk. I always will (hence the whole ‘founding-a-charity’ thing)… but I have come to appreciate the value of process and strategic conversation. I’d say a shameless self-promo, but for what it’s worth I am high-key judging myself… doesn’t mean I won’t slip it in here anyway! (check out https://integrityinitiative.com.au).
My passion, unlike how I have previously perceived that of governance and leadership, is rooted in social justice and grassroots activism. As such, the world policy, reform and legislature felt distant. I imagined it as a realm filled with people in suits who had been ground down by systems that eroded empathy and disconnected them from the human condition.
Now… don’t get me wrong, there are certainly individuals in power who lack compassion and emotional intelligence. Recent events in Parliament House have made that painfully clear. Yet this trip helped me see that these people are not the majority.
Since starting Integrity Initiative, I have hesitated to call myself a CEO, worrying that the moment I embraced that title, I would lose my compassion. This week showed me that it is entirely possible to lead while remaining imperfect, authentic and deeply human.
The heart, generosity and vulnerability shown by leaders across political and professional backgrounds reminded me of what ultimately connects us – humanity.
We do not need to agree with one another to make space for one another. We do not need to understand every perspective to recognise its right to exist. We do not need to like an opinion in order to treat its holder with dignity.
We are all human. We are connected by shared values of dignity, choice and justice. The vast majority of us genuinely want to create a world that is kinder and more humane.
So, with that… here are my key takeaways from this week.
- This week reminded me that sectors do not exist in isolation. They form an intricate and sometimes overwhelming web of interdependence.
- The week was reassuring. To have leaders acknowledge that mental health, youth wellbeing, disability, housing, education, alcohol and other drugs and justice are not separate issues. It was powerful to hear accountability for the devastating failures of current systems without deflection or excuses. I had not expected that.
- This week was meaningful. Meaningful through inclusion not as a photo opportunity or a token young person or someone inspirational for merely surviving adversity, but as a peer, a professional and someone capable of offering substantive insight. That recognition genuinely mattered.
- This week was motivating. To witness something I have long been advocating for – the clear unity between research, clinical expertise, government at every level, organisational leaders, peak bodies and Lived Experience as complementary fields. Not competitive. Not adversarial. Truly complementary
- And finally, this week was not only about networking or influencing change, although both occurred. It was also about rebuilding faith in human dignity, connection and trust in a world that often feels dominated by hostility, reactivity and competition.
Thank you to:
The fantastic team at Mental Illness Fellowship Australia…
- Hayley Harris – for absolutely everything you do, for being my advocacy idol and leading the way for me into this world.
- James Maskey – for making me feel like a welcome part of the MIFA family
- Crystal Heffron – for believing in me and welcoming me from the very beginning (and constantly supporting my love of frogs)
- Juliana Foxlee – for coordinating these important meetings
- Ilyse Elphick – for organising amidst all the chaos
- Tony Stevenson – for your legacy, determination, commitment and leadership of MIFA that has directed it into the fantastic
- Claire Moore – for your ambition, dedication, persistence and kindness through it all
The leaders, politicians and powerhouses that bring to life Parliamentary Friends…
- Jordon Steele-John
- Andrew Wallace
- Tracey Roberts
- Laura Haylen
- Mr Cameron Caldwell MP
- Hon Emma McBride MP