Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the start of Coeliac Awareness Week. This annual event has been celebrated here in Canberra with an opportunity for the occupants of this place to get a blood screening test. I want to congratulate Coeliac Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that is working very hard to increase the rates of testing and diagnosis of coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is one of Australia's most commonly underdiagnosed diseases. It is expected to be present in more than one in every 100 people in Australia. We are talking about a quarter of a million Australians who have this condition, yet only one out of five tend to know they suffer from coeliac disease. This is very concerning given the significant consequences for long-term health and wellness for those who have coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. The coeliac condition is an ongoing concern for those who suffer from it, creating all sorts of digestive systems concerns and causing damage which can take many years to repair.

What is most disturbing is that four out of five people who have coeliac disease do not know they have it. Symptoms can vary quite widely, including fatigue, lack of energy, abdominal pain, bloating, weight loss and anaemia, as well as less obvious conditions such as irritability and depression. This year's campaign is called 'Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?' Visit the website at www.sickandtired.com.au. If you do have coeliac disease, get the gluten out of your diet and the tiger back in your tank.