Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Werriwa for moving this motion, and I thank all the honourable members who are speaking in support of it. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is observed tomorrow, as we've heard, and the day is observed with remembrance ceremonies and candle-lighting vigils, concluding with the Lights of Love International Wave of Light being conducted around the world—circumnavigating the globe, in fact—beginning at 7 pm in each respective time zone, so at 7 pm here in Canberra, and, just to remind the good folk of Darwin where it's still 5.30, it's an hour and a half later. I know that, an hour and a half later, the community members will be out lighting candles there in the Top End. They will be parents, family members, friends, healthcare workers. They will come together to remember babies who have been lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. It is a terrible event for families to go through, but we always remember that the loss is shared by the friends of those who experience it and the health workers who work with them.

It's a day for us to come together to create a greater awareness around the issues of infant loss and pregnancy loss. I am told that there are about 410 losses per day, which is staggering. That's a really devastating blow to families across this country. It's a blow to small communities and tight-knit friendship groups around the country. I just want to thank everyone out there who is working to support someone today who is in that position. It's an incredibly difficult time. There's no more terrible thing than the loss of the child, and the suffering can continue afterwards as further issues are faced. There is often depression and even post-traumatic stress because it is such a traumatic event. I've been close to it and I know that it's incredibly important that friends and family don't just give space to the people coping with that profound loss but rather wrap their arms around them. Tomorrow is a great day to remind us all about the support that's needed and to build awareness. As the motion states, greater research and understanding are required to aid in the establishment of programs, resources and services that support people in that time of need. That is incredibly important.

I'd like to acknowledge the great work done in my electorate of Solomon by Sarah Roberts and the team at SIDS and Kids NT, and the wider team at Bereaved Parent Support NT. Statistics show that in the past five years the Northern Territory has experienced the highest number of child deaths per capita occurring during the first year of life. In particular areas of the Northern Territory, as many as one in three pregnancies may be lost. The reason the figure could be that high is that it's often the case that some mothers don't report an early miscarriage. With the very transient population we have in the Northern Territory, we have shocking rates of loss of pregnancy and infant loss. I just want to commend everyone who is working so hard in that area.

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