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

This morning the member for Hasluck and I, along with the heart and stroke foundations, launched the Heart and Stroke Parliamentary Friendship Group. I thank the many members and senators who attended to show their support for this extremely important issue.

Cardiovascular disease, that is heart and stroke, is the number one killer of Australians today, and the launch saw a commitment by over 70 members of parliament, senators and health department representatives to raise awareness of this very important issue whilst at the same time considering strategies to reduce heart disease and stroke.

The most important aspect of this morning's launch was that it was bipartisan. Both sides of the parliament came together to make a commitment to approach heart and stroke disease in a bipartisan way. It is very rare in this parliament that we join together and unite on an issue, but it showed that members of both sides of the House and the Senate understand that heart disease is the No. 1 killer and that we have it in our power to show leadership in the communities and electorates which we represent in this parliament. By coming together this morning with the stroke and heart foundations we showed that leadership, and I hope that it makes a real impact on people's lives.