Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I wish to raise a matter of importance about a very special group of people: those in our society who are sufferers of cystic fibrosis. This issue is very close to my heart as two second cousins were stricken with this debilitating disease. They both lived to a decent age for people suffering this disease. Stephen lived into his 30s and Peter lived to 40—relatively short, painful lives. I can clearly remember when I was young how horrible it was to watch them struggling to breathe and constantly coughing in obvious pain. I have a constituent who is also a sufferer of this terrible condition. He is currently waiting for a lung transplant. He has been unable to work for the past four months and he relies on his wife’s income. He has informed me that, due to the fact that his wife is working and they are relying on her income, he is not eligible for a disability pension; therefore he does not qualify for a health care card, nor is he entitled to subsidised medication.

The cost of his medication, as you can imagine, is high and the amount spent before any subsidisation applies increases regularly. He requires oxygen 24 hours a day. This results in increased power bills. There is a scheme available by which he could claim $200 a year for a power rebate, but because he is not eligible for the health care card he cannot claim financial relief either.

I would ask that the government consider the dire circumstances this family find themselves in—a family who has always tried to be as self-reliant as possible. Through this family’s own efforts they are not indigent, but they are being punished for their responsible attitude by having to shoulder a heavy financial burden because this man is suffering from this debilitating and often terminal disease. In fact, he is worried—worried that he may not live long enough to see changes which could improve his family’s life.

I would encourage the government to look into this situation as a matter of urgency, as I am sure that there must be other similarly affected families across the country, and to make the necessary changes so that hardworking Australians are not made to suffer for their conscientious lifestyles in times of obvious need.