Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to raise the issue of stroke. I have been approached by the Stroke and Disability Information (Hunter) Inc. group—an organisation that is fondly referred to as SADI. It is situated in the electorate of Shortland. SADI have been providing assistance and support to people that suffer from stroke and other similar types of disability for many, many years. The person who founded the organisation was Elaine Lenaghan OAM, who has since passed away. Her initial work in setting up SADI has been carried on very vigilantly by a number of the people involved in the organisation at the time, and it is now ably administrated by Juliet Roosendaal, who is the project officer. I have to also acknowledge Jim Folby and Stuart Chalmers, who are two constituents within the electorate of Shortland who have always been very active in relation to SADI and raising awareness about stroke in the community.

The week of 14 to 21 September is National Stroke Awareness Week. Statistics show there is a steady increase in the incidence and prevalence of stroke events. As I mentioned earlier, SADI are dedicated to educating the community about any signs of stroke. They provide experienced caring and confidential education, information, counselling, support and advocacy to reduce the incidence of stroke and minimise the physical, social and emotional impact of stroke and other disabilities on clients, carers and the wider community—and, when we are talking about stroke, we cannot forget carers and the enormous impact it has on their lives when one of their loved ones suffers a stroke.

SADI also supports existing stroke recovery groups and helps facilitate new ones. SADI sees itself as an umbrella group that provides support to other groups within the community. It provides information such as brochures, books, videos, DVDs, information packages and one-on-one information sessions. It holds seminars and workshops, links people with similar disabilities and supports self-help groups. SADI provides bi-monthly newsletters that have a wealth of information about every service in the community that people who suffer strokes can link into. These are some of the things that show the fine quality of work that is done by SADI. Additionally, SADI links carers with other carers. Importantly, all services provided by SADI are free.

I will give a few facts and figures about stroke. About 60,000 people in Australia will have a stroke in 2009, which is an enormous number of people. In fact, stroke is the second single greatest killer after coronary heart disease, and the leading cause of disability in Australia. Every 10 minutes someone, somewhere in Australia, has a stroke. One in five people who have their first stroke die within one month; one in three die within a year. It is the second largest killer, as I have already mentioned. Stroke is the biggest single cause of disability in Australia. One in seven people will have stroke. Stroke kills more women than breast cancer. Twenty per cent of all strokes occur in people under 55, and stroke costs Australia $2.14 billion a year.

There is a lot more I could say about SADI and about stroke. The one point I would really like to conclude on is that National Stroke Awareness Week is between 14 and 21 September, and I would like to inform the House that I tend to place a notice on the motion paper to bring this very important issue before the Commonwealth parliament.

Question agreed to.