Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion moved by the member for Werriwa on Defibrillator Awareness Month, 'Shoctober'. This is a very important topic and I commend the member for Werriwa for showing the initiative to raise it in this place. I am very proud to have co-signed the motion with him so that it can be discussed. Shoctober is a great initiative by the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation and is recognised as Defibrillator Awareness Month. 'Improving knowledge and saving lives' is the quote they use, and it is a great quote.

I would like to start by congratulating the foundation and everyone involved in Shoctober. Not only does the organisation do great work this month; it does it all year round. But this month is particularly important because it raises awareness of sudden cardiac arrest. When the member for Werriwa came to me and asked whether I would co-sponsor this motion it forced me to go and have a look at this issue. Thank God, I do not have a personal experience with this. But what we found—and you heard the member for Werriwa say it—is that it kills between 23,000 and 33,000 Australians a year, each and every year, and can strike people of any age. Fortunately, a sudden cardiac arrest is treatable through defibrillation if done in time. However, the chance of survival decreases 10 per cent with every minute that passes without this treatment. This is why the message of Shoctober is so important. Through encouraging workplaces and public areas to have defibrillators easily accessible, we can work to increase the survival rates for people who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest.

It was estimated by the late Dr Jeff Wassertheil that readily available and functioning defibrillators could potentially save up to 25 per cent of those lives lost. That is a substantial difference. The evidence of the benefits of increased defibrillator availability is readily available. In most workplaces, less than five per cent of victims survive a cardiac arrest incident. In contrast, organisations such as Sydney Trains, which has introduced automatic external defibrillators at major stations and trained staff in their use, has achieved survival rates between 30 and 50 per cent. Less than five per cent survive if you do not have it; 30 to 50 per cent survive if you have it and are trained in it. That is a massive difference. In fact, independent research published this month has found that 14 lives were saved over three years, thanks to the initiative shown by Sydney Trains. This shows you the importance of having readily accessible defibrillators in an emergency, and the importance of having staff who are correctly trained in their use.

The Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation has made recommendations to government on how to progress in this space, and we as legislators should continue to listen and collaborate on ways to minimise the fatalities we continue to see in this area. This is a health risk that affects so many Australians every year, not just the 23,000 to 33,000 that die but also their families—and, as I mentioned, there but for the grace of God go many of us. Whether it is a husband, wife, mother, father, daughter or grand-daughter, whoever it may be, we need to do more in this space so that the chances of survival of those 23,000 to 33,000 are maximised at all costs.

I note that the new Australian defibrillator deployment guidelines were released earlier this month by the Automated External Defibrillator Deployment Registry—that is one hell of a mouthful. The guidelines provide technical specifications for defibrillators, where and how they are to be installed, instructions for monitoring and maintenance as well as stipulation of training standards. A point that was highlighted by the AEDDR—it saves me from saying it again—when releasing these new guidelines was the importance of proper monitoring and maintenance of defibrillators once installed. All too often, when an urgent need arises for these devices, they are found faulty or unusable for a variety of reasons. US research has shown that one in five unmonitored defibrillators are defective, and the statistics I gave you earlier tell you how tragic that can be: it reduces the survival rate to five per cent, down from the 30 to 50 per cent when they are monitored right. While compliance with these guidelines is voluntary, I would encourage workplace managers to review their policies in light of these guidelines, and I look forward to continuing the discussion within the government and with those in opposition.

Once again, I would like to congratulate all involved in Defibrillator Awareness Month, or Shoctober, and the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation on both this initiative and their advocacy work, and my good friend the member for Werriwa on raising it. It is a pleasure to speak on it. I just hope that all the people we know never have the need for one. Thank you.

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