Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is really significant that in Women's Health Week we are discussing what isn't working in terms of keeping women healthy and helping them find treatment for conditions that they experience.

We know that every woman has a story about not being listened to by a GP and not being able to get to the bottom of a condition or symptoms that they are experiencing—of not even being sure if it's worth going to the doctor. When you combine many of things that have been talked about in this chamber already—women experiencing endometriosis, fertility issues, perimenopause and menopause—there is a lifetime of women's health issues for women to engage with. We want women to tell us their stories. That is the first step in being able to address the issues from a systemic perspective—to get our health system working better for women.

We particularly want to hear from the communities that often experience additional challenges. I know that people with mental health issues often find it much harder to get treatments for physical ailments that they are going through. We know that First Nations people have challenges in engaging with the system. There are people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, the LGBTIQ+ community and people from regional and remote communities—and that includes many parts of my electorate where it's a really long drive to get to a GP. And, of course, there are people with disabilities. So we are asking for feedback. The way to provide that is to go to the health department's online portal. With that survey, we want people to think about whether they've had delayed diagnosis, whether they've been concerned about over-medicating, whether they've had their pain or other symptoms dismissed or whether their treatment is not suitable. We want to hear those stories. That will be one of the really key outcomes of Women's Health Week—if every woman can jump on and fill in that survey.

We already have some insights into the things that challenge people. I've spoken previously about menopause and the fact that we are now talking about it, which is a start. We want to do more than talk, though; we want to take action to really address those issues. One of the issues that we have already started to tackle is the challenge for women trying to get treatment for endometriosis and pelvic pain. I was delighted that, over the weekend, we were able to announce an additional endo and pelvic pain clinic in Western Sydney. Two clinics in Sydney were already announced by the Albanese government, but this third Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic at the Rouse Hill Town Medial and Dental centre in Western Sydney will make access for people in my electorate—in the Hawkesbury, in the mountains, across through Penrith, around the hills and in the north west Sydney area in particular—much easier.

This is part of an Australia-first rollout that we have done in government to make sure women have access to multidisciplinary care to help diagnose and treat endometriosis and pelvic pain. Endo stories are really quite hidden. A year ago, I held an event to bring together women who've suffered from endometriosis. It was an extraordinary gathering of young women, older women, sisters and mothers who all understood that this was a condition that was not being well identified, diagnosed or treated, and that women suffering from this were carrying a really big burden. As it turned out, that was a day I had COVID. My daughter, who is an endo sufferer, was able to be there in my place and share her story of the challenges of getting appropriate treatment.

The research tells us that nearly 50 per cent of women experience pelvic pain at some stage, and up to half of those women won't discuss their symptoms with a doctor. It has a significant impact on their lives. It affects their ability to work, study and care for their family. From a productivity perspective, it's costing the Australian economy almost $10 billion a year, so this is worth investing in. One in nine women identify as having endo. That is why these clinics are so important, supported by the work we're doing as part of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis.

When we talk about bringing these specialised services together in these locations, what are we talking about? They're practices that already have expertise in treating women with pelvic pain and endo, and they bring together a whole range of specialisations, not just those of a GP. There is no one fix for it. This is the other key thing. There is no one pathway for treating endometriosis or pelvic pain. That's why all those specialisations need to be brought together under one roof.

I also want to touch on some of the other areas where, as a government, we have already started to put women's health front and centre. That's not to take away from the fact that, over many years, we've had to work hard to get men to talk about their health, too. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't hear the word 'prostate' come out of any middle-aged man's mouth. So we have made real achievements there. Now, we're refocusing on some of the things for women that have been overlooked. We're doing that through the Women's Health Advisory Council. That starts the conversation, particularly for people to bring to light instances where there is a gender bias in treatment. I've talked about our endometriosis initiatives, and I'm so looking forward to young women not having to go to a multitude of different doctors but being able to go to one place and get the treatment that helps them.

We've also looked at miscarriage. We've provided $5 million over four years to deliver high-quality, evidence based bereavement care for women and their families, especially in higher risk populations that have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage. This is another area of women's health that is often just not focused on because it's such a difficult area to talk about. We've also looked at IVF and committed $11.6 million over four years for the ongoing assisted reproductive technology storage funding program. This is a payment of up to $600 a year to support patients who face extra costs to preserve their fertility because they have cancer or are at risk of passing on a genetic condition. This is another painful area for women and their families.

We've also looked at long consults with a GP. Over 60 per cent of the longer consultations are used by women, and we've committed nearly $100 million to introduce a new item for consultations of 60 minutes or more to support better access and affordability for patients with chronic conditions and complex needs. That will absolutely support women, whether it's around mental health conditions, whether it's around family, domestic and sexual violence or whether it's around chronic conditions, as well as reproductive health matters and menopause. We're also looking at, over four years, a longitudinal study. We need the data. There's a gap, and we really need data that supports women's and girls' health outcomes.

These are just some of the initiatives that we've taken. One of the wonderful things women get to do is to have babies, and building a maternity workforce is key. This is a government that is serious about seeing improvements in women's health.

See this speech in context