Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion put before this House by the member for McPherson. In doing so, I would like to congratulate her on the kind contribution that she has made to this debate. I can see from her words that she is passionate about this issue. It is important in this parliament that we recognise events such as Coeliac Awareness Week, which takes place from 13 to 20 March—a time when we will not be in the parliament. Parliament is not sitting next week, so it is important that we debate this today. It is also important that we emphasise the key aspect of this motion, which is the need for early diagnosis of coeliac disease, because early diagnosis can prevent the development of many of the associated problems.

Coeliac disease has a number of symptoms, and they are very vague and varied. People may ignore them or attribute them to something else. Some of the most common symptoms are diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, cramping, bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue, weakness and lethargy. These are symptoms I think that everybody can experience from time to time, and they manifest in iron deficiencies, failure to thrive, delayed puberty in children, weight loss or weight gain, bone and joint pain, recurrent mouth ulcers—as we have already heard from the contribution from the member from McPherson—as well as altered mental alertness, irritability, skin rashes, and even bruising of the skin.

Any one of those symptoms could be attributed to some other cause, and that is why it is so important that people should undergo the testing that is needed if they suspect they may have gluten intolerance—because that is exactly what coeliac disease is: gluten intolerance. If testing establishes that a person is living with or suffering from coeliac disease, then they need to immediately commence a gluten-free diet. It is extremely important that this medical diagnosis takes place early, as coeliac disease is a medical condition that has lifelong implications.

I am sure there is not a member of this House who does not have a constituent or has not been associated with somebody who has this disease. I have a very close friend who suffers from coeliac disease, and this person's life has been changed since she had the diagnosis made. She was actually a woman in her 80s when she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, but by changing her diet and the way she ate she was able to make a big change in her health and general wellbeing. Over the years she had suffered with many of the associated diseases—type 2 diabetes, inflammation—and it is only now that she realises that this plethora of problems she was having could be related to coeliac disease. It is a very simple diagnosis. As has already been highlighted by the member for McPherson, there is a blood test, and then you go through a series of other screening tests. If you are diagnosed, it is important to be tested twice a year for the first year, and after that blood testing takes place on a yearly basis.

Coeliac Australia have done a fantastic job. They provide all the information that a person who suffers from coeliac disease needs. They provide guides to diet, guides to eating out and best practice information to people with coeliac disease. They emphasise very much that it is a disease for which you really need that early diagnosis, and the need for that early diagnosis is what I want to emphasise over and over again, because coeliac disease is not a disease that affects just one part of a person's body; it can affect most systems in the body, and it is a condition that occurs with a very high frequency, as has been highlighted by the member for McPherson. It is only through this early diagnosis and treatment that some of the problems that are associated with it can be prevented.

I would like to conclude by emphasising the need for more research to be undertaken. I would like to emphasise that Coeliac Australia are constantly pushing the boundaries to try to come up with better research and better ways of dealing with things, and I emphasise that it is really important a person who feels they may have coeliac go to their doctor, have the tests, make sure that they change their diet to a gluten-free diet and keep in touch with their doctor on a regular basis.

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