Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the member for Chisholm's motion acknowledging World Multiple Sclerosis Day on 26 May this year and recognising the impact of this progressive neurological disease on so many Australians and their families. Probably like many in this chamber, as a school student I was a keen participant in the MS Readathon—a wonderful national fundraising program now in existence for more than 30 years. This program not only introduced thousands of kids to the joys of reading books; importantly, it raised awareness in our community about the extent of MS. It helped demystify what for many families was a disease that simply affected someone else. Whether it is through activities like the readathon, the Freedom from MS Regatta, the MS Walk and Fun Run or the staunch advocacy of committed individuals like Australian of the Year and founding chair of MS Research Australia, Simon McKeon, the important cause of MS is front of mind.

In Australia, it is estimated that over 20,000 people have MS. Globally, the figure is more than 2½ million. Significantly, 70 per cent of sufferers are female and 98 per cent are Caucasian. While it is not unusual for people with MS to have a relative with the same condition, it is yet to be proven to be strictly hereditary. The onset of symptoms commonly occurs between the ages of 20 and 40, and can take a number of forms. Tremors, fatigue, impaired vision and partial or complete paralysis are typical. But, critically, while we can find references to MS in the medical literature dating back to the early 19th century, we still do not know its primary cause or its cure. What we do know is that for those with MS the body's immune system sends antibodies and white blood cells in an attack on the myelin sheath, which surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The subsequent damage to the central nervous system comes as nerve signals are prevented from controlling muscle coordination, vision, sensation and strength.

What can we as a society do to improve the lives of those who suffer from MS? The answer is multifaceted. We can drive efforts to improve the employment opportunities and workplace flexibility for those with MS. As is pointed out in this motion, the Australian MS longitudinal study reported that 80 per cent of people with MS lose their employment within 10 years of diagnosis. When one considers that the onset of symptoms can take place at the start or, as is often the case, in the prime of a working person's life, the issue of employment becomes even more acute. Losing one's income is devastating not only in an economic sense but also in a personal sense. A job can provide a sense of purpose and build self-esteem. The road to better health for those who lose their employment becomes that much harder and the burden on their families and carers that much greater. What we need are more job retention strategies and to consider seriously the recommendations of MS Australia around the further development of workplace flexibility, advisory services by employers for employers, the expansion of the workplace modification scheme to include non-capital items and an expansion in the number of specialist disability employment providers. MS Australia have also called on us to do more to provide aids and equipment to those in need. In their words, 'There is chronic underfunding of public aids and equipment.' Other important issues raised include providing high-quality alternative care so that young people with MS do not have to go to a nursing home and support for accessible and affordable housing, including for the cost of house modifications for those with MS.

Just as important as each of these initiatives is the significant public investment in medical research. Research is our only hope in finding what has proved to date to be an evasive cure. MS Research Australia plays a critical role allocating publicly raised funds and coordinating a national partnership with 20-plus Australian research institutes; so too the National Health and Medical Research Council plays its role delivering government funds. It is here that MS Australia are calling for progressive neurological diseases such as MS to be a greater research priority. MS affects thousands of Australians directly and many thousands more indirectly—families, friends and carers. While its cause and cure remain a mystery, its impact on the lives of our fellow citizens does not. As they face the challenges the disease brings, MS sufferers deserve our every support to make their lives better not just today in the workplace and in the home but also tomorrow, as it will hopefully not be long before medical research finds a cure.

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