Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This parliament's work often shines in its committee work, and that is evident in the work of the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport in its inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections. It is a great privilege to have Deputy Speaker Ananda-Rajah and the member for Robertson, who are also members of the committee, here while this debate is going on. I thank them both for their considered support during the inquiry. For someone who does not have a medical background they were most helpful in their advice, so I acknowledge that. I'd like especially to thank the inquiry secretariat for their support, hard work and logistical advice throughout the inquiry, and I thank the members of the committee for the collegiate way in which these deliberations were made. I especially acknowledge the member for Macarthur and the member for Lindsay, as chair and deputy chair.

The subject of the inquiry was the management of long COVID in Australia. The committee looked at the patient experience, especially through diagnoses and treatments. We looked at healthcare services supporting long COVID and we looked at the research about risk factors, cause, prevalence and management. We have to note that research into this relatively new phenomena, although promising, is very much in its early stages, given that COVID has only been around since 2019.

Ultimately, the best way not to experience the debilitating effects of long COVID is not to contract COVID-19 at all. The effects of long COVID, by definition, last months after the initial infection and disrupt the ability of those affected to contribute in ways they are used to in family situations, work or sport.

This is obviously very distressing for sufferers and their families, and it can lead to disability and time off work, which has significant effects on work and home life and on their mental health. I want to recognise all the contributions of sufferers for their honesty and time in providing the committee with information and their experiences. I note that patients of long COVID often find it difficult to function in normal, everyday situations, and their symptoms are very distressing.

I note that there seems to be evidence that vaccines may assist in the protection against long COVID, and sometimes long COVID develops in people who have had more than one COVID infection. It was clear during the inquiry that a lack of information and data is currently hampering research and suggestions to prevent and treat long COVID. As this is a relatively new disease and complication, it is more important that standardised data is collected for research to look at trends and test outcomes for preventative treatments and ultimately for the cure. The committee recommends that the data should be managed in a single point so that standardisation of results will allow researchers to understand how many people are affected, in what circumstances they may be affected and, if there is a link, when and how to draw conclusions about what and why certain treatments may assist. This information must include information about long COVID in populations such as First Nations people and other communities in our electorates. We note that the care for long COVID patients should be affordable, timely and equitable, with mental health and multidisciplinary support available and accessible in all settings, whether you be in main cities or in remote and regional areas. The use of telehealth and digital resources may be able to be leveraged to assist with this care.

In conclusion, the committee notes that long COVID is definitely a condition, and it may be experienced by someone post a COVID infection. I want to reiterate that we believe that people have long COVID, because, unfortunately, it is the experience of too many people that they are not believed and that they are told to get over it. The committee found that this is definitely a condition, and we do believe you. Sufferers of long COVID experience often debilitating symptoms, which affect all parts of their lives, and it can be very distressing for them. Clearly, more research needs to be done, and I note that our government has already put more resources into that and will continue to look at what else can be done for sufferers. I commend the report to the parliament.

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