Special Envoy for Men’s Health and Federal Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi MP has joined forces with TradeMutt co-founder’s Dan Allen and Ed Ross to shine a national spotlight on men’s mental health, by wearing a bold TradeMutt suit to deliver a speech in Parliament today.
The vibrant suit, designed by TradeMutt and tailored by Urbana, is more than just clothing, it is a tool to start life-saving conversations.
This suit as well as TradeMutt workwear is also designed to draw attention to TIACS, a Not For Profit also created by the two Tradies who lost a close mate to suicide. TIACS provides free and professional counselling via phone and text to tradies, apprentices, truckies, miners, farmers, hospo workers and anyone doing it tough.
There are no wait times, no referral needed, no cost, and no judgement.
More than 50,000 conversations have already been supported through TIACS, helping men open up in their ute, on site, in the shed, or at home.
Wearing the suit in Parliament, Mr Repacholi said it was important to break down stereotypes and normalise reaching out for support.
Mr Allen welcomed the opportunity to highlight the partnership and the impact of TIACS across Australia’s blue collar workforce.
For more information on TIACS or Trademutt, visit www.trademutt.com or www.tiacs.org
For mental health support, call or text TIACS on 0488 846 988.
Quotes attributable to Dan Reapcholi, Special Envoy for Men’s Health:
“I am wearing this suit because too many blokes are still doing it tough in silence, and if a bright suit gets one man talking or one mate checking in, it’s worth every bit of attention.
“After missing the Olympic teams in 2000 and 2024, I struggled massively with my confidence and mental health, and I know how hard it is to reach out, which is why services like TIACS are so important.
“Talking isn’t weakness, it’s strength, and TIACS makes it simple for men to pick up the phone or send a text when they need it.
“If we want to stop losing seven men a day to suicide, we need to make conversations about mental health as normal as talking about footy or work.
“Every time a bloke reaches out, it’s not just him who benefits. it strengthens families, workplaces and whole communities.”
Quotes attributable to Dan Allen, Co-founder of TradeMutt:
“Ed and I are incredibly proud to have built a model that is meeting workers needs head on, but there are still so many more out there who are struggling in silence that deserve to be supported.
“We’ve seen such incredible outcomes with TradeMutt and TIACS already, but it’s vital that we can continue to scale our services to ensure no blue collar worker ever has to go it alone.
“Tradies, Truckies, Farmers and Blue Collar workers are the cornerstone of this country. But even the hardest workers deserve the best support when times get tough.
“Ed and I are blown away to see a TradeMutt suit starting conversations in parliament. We hope that this can be a catalyst for further support for one of Australia’s most important sectors.”
Quotes attributable to Ed Ross, Co-founder of TradeMutt:
“We are so proud of the impact we have been able to make so far with both TradeMutt and TIACS.
"Having the Federal Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi MP stand up in Parliament wearing a custom made TradeMutt suit sharing our story is an incredible moment for both businesses. It tells us we are doing something right.”