Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak on this report. The inquiry into long COVID was an initiative led by my great friend, the member for Macarthur. It was a bipartisan inquiry informed by more than 560 submissions and testimony from a wide range of resources and sources. The committee travelled all throughout Australia to investigate the effects of long COVID. When we came into government, we were emerging from a global pandemic. It had altered our way of life and how we, as a nation, had to approach health care. Yet, as we emerged from the heart of the pandemic, we could see a growing issue amongst the Australian population.

This inquiry was in response to the many reports of people experiencing ongoing complications after contracting COVID-19. It set out a plan for the government to better respond to and support those who are affected. Furthermore, it showed that the government is committed to being proactive in tackling health issues and working cooperatively to ensure the best outcome for all Australians.

While the states had worked hard to limit the spread of COVID-19 and had done exceptionally well in keeping their populations safe, we still had comparatively high rates of COVID-19 within our population. As the recovery from COVID was underway, there were more and more reports of people experiencing ongoing effects that impacted their lives. Some people, while the world was opening and going back to normal, weren't able to do so because of ongoing health issues and impacts. From nurses to labourers to retail workers, many people who had contracted the virus struggled to participate in the reopening of the world.

There was no global framework or much research into the concept of long COVID. We knew we had to act fast and create safeguards and support systems for the thousands of Australians who were struggling with health issues. The inquiry aimed to give the people experiencing long COVID, the people treating it and the institutions who support our healthcare system a better idea of what long COVID is—how long it lasts and the effects it would have in Australia. As we know, COVID hasn't gone away, and the danger of disease and its long-term effects are still a danger for many Australians. In fact, I recall a story from a local woman in Wallan who spoke of how her daughter could no longer work. She suffered debilitating headaches and brain fog and slept for around 15 hours of the day, completely altering her way of life. It's impacted her, her family and her work. It's devastating to even comprehend.

Through this inquiry, the committee saw that long COVID will affect one person differently to how it affects the next person. We know the symptoms can include, but are not limited to, fatigue, brain fog and headaches and can make pre-existing conditions a whole lot worse. The Consumers Health Forum of Australia reported concern about the long-term economic and social effects of long COVID. It said many people are taking long-term sick leave or losing their jobs, returning to part-time or lower-skilled work, or facing a permanent disability. Yet, despite this, many Australians with long COVID have struggled to get the medical and social support they needed. They were not getting the care, because many doctors either did not understand their requirements or were dismissing the concerns of the patients because of the limited research and knowledge on the subject. This often left patients without any direction to get the care they required.

When GPs did recognise the issues and referred these patients to long COVID specialist clinics, the wait time often sat at around three months, and there would be added costs that many people couldn't afford. This added to the physical and psychological toll that those experiencing the disease faced. As Ms Karren Hill, the administrator of the Australian Long COVID Community Facebook Support Group, said:

For many it is a serious, life-changing condition. … The scale of its impact in Australia is not always fully recognised. Many of our members are feeling neglected or forgotten. … This lack of strong data makes it difficult to develop appropriate policy responses and easily dismiss the serious, urgent widespread need.

The Australian Psychological Society's observations of patients attending long COVID clinics showed that many patients were not often believed by their peers, families or friends. And there was a concern that patients might be seen by healthcare professionals and their peers as malingering, making them hesitant to get the health care they needed. This additional psychological stress only contributes to the need for more research and data to be done. It was also important to make sure that those effects were heard about and seen by government. This has to be done through actions, not platitudes and meaningless 'get well soon' comments.

With the virus still in the community and more strains developing, the government recognised that long COVID would be an ongoing concern. The Albanese Labor government had the pragmatic foresight to establish this inquiry so that we could be prepared for and respond to the emerging and future issues that COVID-19 is still bringing to our country. The inquiry found that there is a need to support those affected by long COVID and those who treat it, as well as overall awareness and knowledge of it.

After hearing people's experiences and talking to health professionals, this government is committed to facilitating and supporting more research on the matter—so much so that when the report came out the Minister for Health and Aged Care committed a further $50 million from the Medical Research Future Fund to allow for adequate research to be undertaken. This is in addition to funding that has already been provided for research related to long COVID, including more than $13 million from the MRFF, $1.6 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council and $5 million to the Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on Infectious Disease Emergencies. Funding for data linkage and data analysis projects to better understand the prevalence and impact of long COVID has also been approved. The additional MRFF funding will improve our knowledge of long COVID in the Australian context and generate evidence to inform policy and clinical guidance, improve health outcomes and increase awareness of long COVID in the community. We know we don't have enough data on long COVID, but hopefully this step will go a long way to providing knowledge and adequate support for people.

The report recommends establishing a nationally coordinated research program to coordinate and fund COVID-19 and long COVID research. With the definition of long COVID to be reviewed, this inquiry sets a mandate for governments and government departments, at all levels, to work together to get a clear idea of what this condition is in order to be better able to respond to the challenges of it. Primary healthcare providers, such as GPs, are crucial in the fight, in providing early diagnosis and treatment opportunities for those with long COVID. The committee have recommended that greater support and educational opportunities be provided to medical professionals to assist patients. They say the government should also consider providing greater mental health support, telehealth and digital health resources and establishing better long COVID clinics to provide adequate access to those suffering from long COVID.

The government agrees primary care will play an important and central role in supporting Australians experiencing long COVID. It is amongst the reasons that the Albanese Labor government was proud to announce in the budget more support and investment into bulk-billing GPs. This measure is making sure that Australians have access to primary health care, and it is lowering waiting times to see a doctor, which is imperative in tackling long COVID. Australians can be reassured that this government is investing in protecting Australia's health and wellbeing. As we know, health issues can have ongoing impacts on the economic and social wellbeing of Australians. I know this government will take the important learning from this inquiry into account and seriously consider the recommendations.

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