Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Wakefield. Indeed, as has been mentioned, Palliative Care Week runs from 24 to 30 May. The theme this year is 'Dying to talk; talking about dying won't kill you'. Indeed, dying is a natural part of life. I think we are all very well aware of that. But it is important that we plan and prepare and normalise the conversations that occur around end-of-life. Palliative Care Australia wants to normalise death and dying. To do this, Australians need to feel more comfortable about talking about what their wishes and needs are as they approach end-of-life. Australians need to be comfortable and confident to ask for the care that they want. Indeed—and it has been mentioned by those on both sides—there is the wonderful work that is going on in a program known as hospice@HOME in my state of Tasmania. This is a program that is coordinated to give better access to palliative care for people particularly in Tasmania in what is a very dispersed population outside of Hobart and Launceston. This system is working particularly well.

There are three partners in this program: the DHHS, the Department of Health and Human Services; the Tasmanian Association of Hospice and Palliative Care; and the district nurses, as I mentioned, who deliver the clinical side of that. DHHS's role is to provide specialist positions in palliative care and strategy around the implementation. The Tasmanian Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, led by Colleen Johnson, is about education and awareness and also the delivery of advanced care planning. I want to particularly compliment the work of Anna Spinaze which I have seen on more than three occasions. She is one of those advocates who works in this space. I first met her at the Brighton-Broadmarsh CWA annual general meeting. She was the guest speaker. She was absolutely outstanding. I met her up at Triabunna at a community discussion around broader social issues in that area. Also, she attended what was a fantastic event, at the Ellendale Community Hall, last Friday: a comedy show about death. It was an engaging way of talking about something that we do not talk about enough.

The hospice@HOME program, led by Fiona Onslow, is about the clinical and medical support and the care coordination. I want to talk about death literacy. Dying to Know Day is in August. Did you know that only five per cent of Australians will make a plan for the end of their lives? Did you know that 45 per cent of Australians will die without a will? Did you know that only half of us have told our partners about the end-of-life care we want? Did you know that one in three Australians know what a shroud is and how it is used? Did you know that almost half of us want to know more about do-it-yourself funerals? Did you know 60 per cent of Australians choose cremation? Have you ever considered that there are alternatives? Did you know that only half of us get to die in our preferred place?

In the time left, I want to talk briefly about the hospice@HOME program. Seventy per cent of people, through research, tell us they want to die at home. Indeed, the system that has been developed in Tasmania—and which I think has the potential for a model nationally—is about wrap-around care. It involves all of the service providers to identify gaps in the existing services. It is not a new silo service. It is about packages. In recent times, 44 per cent of the people that have engaged with hospice@HOME have been able to die at home—and that is their preference. It is about support care, meals, respite, personal care and domestic support; it is about care coordination and keeping people out of hospital—not accessing ambulances as an emergency. The care provided averages about 64 days at home, avoiding presentations.

The most valuable thing is the 24-hour phone services. Registered and specialist nurses are available to triage the needs of each client. It is about home and community, where support exists and allows those people to stay in their communities. This is particularly important in an electorate, such as mine, in regional areas. It is a real success program. I encourage all those interested in this space to understand more about the good work that is being done. (Time expired)

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