1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Job mission with Jonesy and Amanda. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 2: Lots of people saying how tough it is to homeschool 3 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:08,960 Speaker 2: your kids at home, that's true, how hard it is 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 2: to work from home, that's true. How you're under each 5 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 2: other's feet the whole time. But what if you live alone? 6 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 2: Lockdown would be so tough. I read a great article 7 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 2: yesterday in The Guardian by journalist Melanie Tait who asks 8 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 2: why you can have an intimate partner, You can have 9 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 2: a sexual partner stay over, but you can't have a 10 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 2: social partner in your home and the toll this takes 11 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 2: on your mental health. 12 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: Melanie, Hello, Hi Amanda, Hi Jonesy. 13 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 3: Hello Melanie. 14 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 2: I was really taken by this article yesterday. So you 15 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 2: say that if you had found a sexual partner a 16 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 2: week before we went into lockdown, they'd be allowed to 17 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 2: stay over, but your sister can't come and visit you. 18 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: I mean, that's crazy, isn't it, Amanda? It really I 19 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: think it's crazy. I thought about this a lot when 20 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: looking at what you know an intimate partner is. I 21 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: think that's the insinuation, isn't it that it's somebody you've 22 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: a sexual relationship going with, and it just seems crazy 23 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: to me that, you know, I can't have a visit 24 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: from my sister who I've known my whole life, or 25 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: my best friend or somebody with you know, what is 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: really an intimate relationship. It's not a sexual intimate relationship, obviously, 27 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: but it would be just so amazing to have that 28 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: company at the moment. You know, it's a typicult time anyway, 29 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: isn't it for everybody, let alone having to sort of 30 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: negotiate it alone. So yeah, I wrote that article hoping, 31 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: hoping somebody would read it and seek what recks going 32 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: on at the moment. 33 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 3: Well, it really hit a nerve because we're very lucky, 34 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 3: Amanda and I. We get to come to our work 35 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 3: every day. I've got a family at home, I've got 36 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 3: a nice house and plenty of space around there. But 37 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 3: if you're stuck in a unit, if you're a tradee 38 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 3: stuck in a unit with yourself, and if you like 39 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 3: working on the building site now you're not doing that, 40 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 3: it would be really hard. 41 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, one of the things I've found, So I 42 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: work mainly from home. You know, I'm a freelance writer 43 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: and I'm I mainly am at home. But when I 44 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: really think about it. I'm not at home all day 45 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: every day usually, like I'll go down to the coffee 46 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: shop and write down there for a while, and while 47 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: I'm there, I bump into four or five people that 48 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: I know well now, you know, because I'm there a lot. 49 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: That kind of thing. So the isolation of having to 50 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: be in your home the whole time by yourself and 51 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 1: not see anybody socially, you can see now like I'm 52 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: just loving speaking to you guys, I'm stop talking because 53 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: it just doesn't happen very often at the moment. It's 54 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: really difficult. 55 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: You say here. This really struck me too, that science 56 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 2: knows that we have the dolphins are released when you 57 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 2: have a laugh, when you have a chat, when you 58 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: snuggle a baby. Scientifically, we know this stuff makes us 59 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 2: feel better. But you don't have access to any of that. 60 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 2: Only if you're going for a walk with one person. 61 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's not the same you know, you go 62 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: for a walk. I actually was very anti walk at 63 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: the beginning of this week. It's like life changes every 64 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: every day, doesn't it with COVID. But the last couple 65 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: of nights I've been for some walks with my sister 66 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: and my friend and things like that, and it is good, 67 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: like it's good to have some sort of contact, but 68 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: it's not the same you know, a walk. You're walking around, 69 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: you're not looking at each other in the eye, You're 70 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: not having any sort of relaxed time because you know 71 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: you're on this walk. There's this pressure to sort of 72 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: get all the information out and find out all the information. 73 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: It's not like just sitting on the couch with you know. 74 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: I quite often just drop into my brother and sister 75 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 1: in law's house every day pretty much and just sit 76 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: on the couch with my niece and we just like 77 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: look at each other and smile. And she's you know, 78 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: she's six months old or something like that. She could 79 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: I shouldn't say that, she could be twenty two months old. 80 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: I don't know kids ages. 81 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 3: Ye know, well she's changed and she've seen her she's 82 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 3: somewhere between six months and eighteen years. 83 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. So they're just that relaxed contact with people 84 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,119 Speaker 1: I think is really missing and is a really important 85 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: part of you know, keeping our mental health intact. Well. 86 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 2: For me to catch up with people, I did too 87 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: much walking. I've put my hip out, So that's tragic. 88 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 2: But I say that in Victoria, you do have a 89 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: single social bubble. They have that in Victoria, but not 90 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 2: here in New South Wales. 91 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: Yes, so it took them a few months to get actually, 92 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: but they developed this thing called the single social bubble 93 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,039 Speaker 1: where a single person could nominate somebody that they would 94 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: like to have contact with and they formed a little 95 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: bubble so they could go to each other's houses and 96 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 1: they could do things together. And I'm really hoping that 97 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: we do something like that. Brad Havard seems to be 98 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: for some reason against it, and I don't understand. So 99 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: South Australia, for example, you can't have you're a person 100 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: living on your own, you can't even have your intimate partner. 101 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: You can't have your you know, your boyfriend or your 102 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: girlfriend that lives at another house come and visit you, 103 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: whereas in New South Wales we can. So it's just 104 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: that it's that difference between intimate partner and you know, 105 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: friend or companion that I just think is very very 106 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: unfair South Australia. I don't like if we're in South Stralia, 107 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: we'd be having this discussion because no one can see anybody, 108 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: you know. 109 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 2: But as you say, we're playing Russian rule with mental health, 110 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 2: aren't we Yeah? 111 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: Absolutely, because part of you know, I think anybody who 112 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: has mental health problems, and as the pandemic goes on, 113 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: it's more and more and more people. You know, I've 114 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: suffered on an often depression pretty much my whole life, 115 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: and so by now I've got a system of things 116 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: that I know I have to do to keep on 117 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,480 Speaker 1: top of it. And the most important pillar of that, 118 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 1: because you might be able to tell, like with me 119 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: chatting so much, I'm an extrovert. I get my energy 120 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: from other people, and part of that mental health sort 121 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: of plan for me is that I have to socialize 122 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: with people and spend time with people. So when that's 123 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: taken away, it's like one of those pillars gets kind 124 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: of broken. So it's really difficult to stay on top 125 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,239 Speaker 1: of things. I really hope they change it well, and they're. 126 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 3: Going to look into it. Sorry. They're very good at 127 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 3: doing lockdowns. They've had lockdowns like nobody's business. 128 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:03,719 Speaker 1: You know. 129 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 3: When we went into lockdown, Dan Andrews said, hang on 130 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 3: a minute, I'll show your house. This is how you 131 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,800 Speaker 3: do a lockdown. So, Melanie, your article is absolutely great 132 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 3: and really brings home about what people like my mother 133 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 3: lives alone. You know, it would be very, very hard 134 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 3: when you're just stuck with your own company all day. 135 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 3: So yeah, feel free to call us anytime. 136 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 1: Oh, thank you so much, and thanks for having me 137 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 1: and for your interest in it. It's really because the 138 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: more we talk about it, I feel like, who knows 139 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,840 Speaker 1: who is a listening this morning? And might you know 140 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 1: it might get through to government. 141 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, take care, Melanie, Thank you, Melanie, thank you. 142 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 3: Good on your stop doom scrolling. Read Melanie's column She's 143 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 3: Got some s. 144 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 2: It was a great article in the Guardian. 145 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 3: It really was. 146 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: Jonesy and Amanda's