Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month during the last sitting week I was privileged to sponsor a breakfast meeting on behalf of Parkinson’s Australia. This year Parkinson’s Australia has taken the initiative in promoting itself more vigorously than in previous years, and I like to think that some of this enthusiasm has flowed from the fact that three years ago we set up a parliamentary Parkinson’s support group. It has been an invaluable exercise in raising awareness of the blight of Parkinson’s, which is an incurable disease affecting younger and younger persons. I really did not appreciate how insidious this disease is, how prevalent it is or the chance that each and every one of us could be exposed to it in the future—either directly or indirectly—especially as we get older. But it is not something that Parkinson’s Australia can do alone, and they came to us for assistance.

The purpose of the breakfast was twofold: firstly, to expose as many parliamentarians as possible to the existence and activities of Parkinson’s Australia and, secondly, to present to the Minister for Health and Ageing a report by Access Economics that was commissioned by Parkinson’s Australia. The report is titled Living with Parkinson’s disease: challenges and positive steps for the future. If any member would like a copy, just let me know. I thank the minister for health, my colleague Tony Abbott, for coming along to receive the report on behalf of the Australian government.

In 2005 over 54,700 persons were diagnosed with Parkinson’s; 28,100 were male and 26,600 were female. According to the report, the prevalence of the disease is expected to grow by about 15 per cent over the next five years, in part due to demographic ageing. In economic terms, the cost of this disease was estimated to be in the order of $6.8 billion in 2005 alone. In human and emotional terms, the cost is considerably higher, as anyone caring for someone with Parkinson’s will tell you. I found being confronted with the realities of the disease quite an emotional experience. Several months previously, our group was briefed by two neurologists retained by Parkinson’s Australia: Dr Andrew Hughes, Consultant Neurologist at Austin Health in Victoria, and Dr John O’Sullivan, Consultant Neurologist at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Their presentation, particularly the video they screened of a sufferer in the advanced stages of the disease, had a huge impact on me. I commend that footage to you, because if you have no sense of connection right now you certainly will after you have seen it. It is that compelling.

I would like to thank the CEO of Parkinson’s Australia, Norman Marshall, who was appointed this year and whom I am happy to describe as an ardent advocate for the cause. He is highly assisted by Jason Thomas of the consultancy firm Sinclair Thomas, who have taken on the running of this campaign on behalf of Parkinson’s Australia. I believe that under their hand Parkinson’s Australia and the repercussions of the disease will become more visible in the years to come. The breakfast was attended by a number of eminent persons, as well as individuals who had contracted the disease, although I was rather disappointed not to see more parliamentary colleagues from both sides of the chamber. In saying that, I thank my colleagues Teresa Gambaro from Petrie and Kerry Bartlett from Macquarie for being there. More needs to be done, and we in this House are best placed to facilitate change in an effort to ease the misery. I commend the Parkinson’s Australia and Access Economics report to you and urge other members to make contact with the Parkinson’s Australia people to discover how they can help. (Time expired)