Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to be able to stand here today in support of the motion and to congratulate everybody involved with Shoctober, in particular the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation for their work with Defibrillator Awareness Month. One of the reasons I have chosen to speak on this topic today is that I am living proof of somebody who is only here today because of an automatic external defibrillator. As some other members have spoken about earlier, cardiac arrest can hit in the most unusual circumstances—in my case, as a 26-year-old playing basketball, feeling quite fit and healthy and, quite frankly, invincible. After suffering a cardiac arrest on the basketball court and not breathing for seven minutes, I am only standing here today because a paramedic was deployed very quickly and was able to restart my heart. That paramedic's name is Andrew Burns. This is the first time in parliament I have been able to thank him. Without him and his expertise, I would not be standing here today.

The more important and bigger issue is how we can ensure AEDs are in every community organisation and every workplace to give the best chance possible to those people who will inevitably suffer cardiac arrest at times that are completely unexpected. That is why I want to lend my support to the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation and all the work that they have done with Shoctober. I also think there is a big role to play for government here and I am certainly advocating from the government's side. I would like to think we can do it in a bipartisan fashion, to see if we can encourage more government funding to get automated external defibrillators in as many community organisations as possible.

As somebody who is a survivor and who is only alive because of an AED I get lots of stories that come to my office from people who are the great examples. They are like me and have gone on to live very happy and successful lives. Unfortunately, I also get the tragic stories as well. What is very common, and what I hear a lot, is of the 18, 19, 20, 21 year old playing sport of some description, just like I was, thinking they were healthy and invincible and the tragedy befalls their families when they die on a football field, or a cricket field, or out running or in some form of exercise. Just how tragic it is for those families breaks my heart. That is why it is incumbent on all political parties to work out ways, in a bipartisan way, so that we can get even more funding and even more support for every organisation to have an AED on the wall. Every time I walk into a clubhouse—and pardon the pun—it warms my heart when I see the AED sitting on the wall, because I do appreciate that without that sitting there so many young people, in particular, would be in danger.

There is a strong commitment from me and all of my colleagues to ensure that we make some heavy strides in this direction over the next two years. I commend state governments who are seeking to do the same thing. In my home state of Victoria both the government and the opposition certainly do have programs to fund AEDs for various community groups. I think there is a role there for the federal government to leverage that, to make it even bigger and to ensure that, in particular, every workplace has one—importantly, not only that every workplace has an AED but that they have somebody at all times who is trained to use it. It is something that is so simple and it is the difference, literally, between life and death for so many people.

As far as I am concerned it is a very small cost to government for benefits that are so important for our society and which ultimately have economic benefits down the track, because—as I am proof positive—you can go on to live a very active, busy and productive life. I commend the motion and I thank speakers for doing so in a bipartisan fashion.

Debate adjourned.

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