Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) 15 October is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day;

(b) on this day, parents, families, friends and healthcare workers will memorialise babies they have lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death; and

(c)infant loss is a tragic and terrible event to go through for families, healthcare workers and friends and International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day provides an opportunity to mark their shared loss;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) each year around 150,000 women in Australia experience some form of pregnancy or infant loss;

(b) further issues are commonly faced by those close to these tragic events such as depression, anxiety, changes in relationships, development of unhealthy coping mechanisms and post-traumatic stress disorder;

(c) these effects, amongst others, are often underestimated and overlooked by healthcare professionals, friends, and even family members, especially concerning pregnancy loss related bereavement and subsequent grief; and

(d) greater research and understanding is required to aide in the creation and establishment of programs, resources and services that support and provide assistance to survivors of baby loss and their families, and enable them to overcome their trauma and integrate their bereavement into their life in a healthy, helpful, healing manner;

(3) expresses sympathy to all families who have suffered a miscarriage, a stillbirth or infant death; and

(4) commends each and every person who has supported parents and families through their journey from the loss of a baby.

Tomorrow, 15 October, will be International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Every year around 150,000 women in this country experience some form of pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, infant or neonatal loss. Each one of those 150,000 losses represents to families what might have been. The number of little lives lost each year tells the stories of families affected. It is estimated that one in four pregnancies result in miscarriage. In 2016, 2,849 lives were lost to stillbirth or within the first four weeks of life.

The issue is even more prolific amongst First Australians. They're almost twice as likely to experience the loss of a baby due to stillbirth or neonatal death than the Australian population at large, and that rate has not moved in the last two decades. Furthermore, culturally and linguistically diverse Australians also experience stillbirth and neonatal loss at a higher rate than the general population. In 2013-14 nearly 35 per cent of stillbirths that occurred in Australia were to women who were born in countries other than Australia.

While the loss of someone creates the same intense grief, the loss of a baby does not leave the shared memories that are often found when someone older dies. Every single day after the loss of a baby, families, mums, dads, grandparents, siblings and friends grieve for the loss of what could have been—the memories that were so eagerly and excitedly anticipated—their first words, their first steps, their first day at school, hugs for birthdays and holidays, their first jobs, graduations and their promising futures.

Every single day for the rest of a parent's life they are aware of the promise of what could have been. That's why groups such as Red Nose, Sands, and Miracle Babies, which was founded in 2005 by Melinda Cruz at Liverpool Hospital's Newborn Intensive Care Unit, are so crucially important to support families grieving the loss of their babies. These groups help and support mothers and fathers negotiate not just the first few weeks and months after the loss but through subsequent pregnancies, which are difficult and bring back so many negative memories. Those memories can vastly affect what should have been the most exciting time in a parent's life. Stress, anxiety and constant worry never leave a family that has experienced the loss of a pregnancy.

We know that having a conversation around regular infant movement dramatically reduces the risk of stillbirth. We know that taking women's anxieties during pregnancy seriously has a positive effect on live births. We know that naming stillbirths as a risk to women between 18 and 24 weeks dramatically increases awareness, vigilance and ultimately prevention.

Tomorrow many families will remember, celebrate and grieve together in their own way what could have been. Many of those lost babies have names that, apart from the pregnancy, are the only memories these families have.

I recognise the workers of the amazing organisations who help families through the different emotional responses and the doctors, nurses and social workers at hospitals who also assist. Your dedication and the stability and comfort that you provide to families are indeed nothing short of a miracle. You provide the critical support that families need at the most trying times of their life. Your work spans not just pregnancy loss but the extremely difficult times when families find themselves in foreign environments such as neonatal intensive care units. All of these situations are overwhelming for families, and you are there to provide the comfort, support and information to help them get through. Thank you for your work and dedication.

To the mothers, fathers and families who grieve every day: tomorrow on this very special day I grieve with you. Tomorrow is a day shared to remember in your own way what could have been. Your pain, your grief and your loss is known, and you are not alone. My family will also remember Michael and Meaghan.

Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of this motion before the chamber on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, when bereaved parents, families, friends and healthcare workers pause to remember the babies that have been lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death.

Infant loss is something that is all too common in our country and around the world, and the pain that this causes is felt by thousands every day. Sadly, three in every 1,000 babies born each year in Australia die before they reach 12 months of age. In addition to this, six babies are stillborn every day and one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage.

The Australian government recognises the devastation that pregnancy and infant loss has on families. I also have a personal interest in rising to support this motion today, due to my personal experience in pregnancy loss. My husband and I experienced a miscarriage after five years of infertility. The pain and heartbreak I felt was immense. I want to make sure that we as a nation provide the level of support and assistance that families need at this difficult time.

The issue of pregnancy and infant loss is one that my government is taking seriously. We want to see fewer families experience pregnancy and infant loss in the future. But when they do, we want to provide support to those families who experience this pain. That is why this government is investing $52.4 million in perinatal services and support, with the aim of ensuring that families are supported effectively and appropriately. This funding has different parts, and is aimed at providing support across a range of areas. It includes $43.9 million for a new perinatal mental health program which will help support the mental health of expectant and new parents in Australia and will provide support for families experiencing grief following stillbirth, miscarriage or infant death.

This investment is because we have heard from families that current support is not adequate. We also know that good mental health support is important to those who are experiencing this, not just for parents but also for other members of the family. We must never forget that the loss of a child, whether born or not, is one of the most traumatic times in a person's life; we need to provide as much support for the families as we possibly can.

While Australia is among the safest countries in the world to give birth in, there are still six babies that are stillborn every day. Stillbirth affects over 2,000 Australian families each year. That is why, as announced in December 2018, a further $7.2 million has been invested to support those families who experience stillbirth. Funding for support and education in this space is essential. Data shows that for every 137 women who reach 20 weeks pregnancy, one will experience the devastation of a stillbirth. Stillbirth is one of the most devastating events that any family could experience. The rate of stillbirth, according to the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, is 30 times higher than that of sudden infant death syndrome. We often hear that stillbirth is shrouded in mystery and silence, and we know that it receives far less public attention than other infant and childhood deaths. The number of stillbirths is still too high, and we in this House are committed to raising the profile of and eliminating the stigma around stillbirth.

As a response to the fact that despite medical advances in care of pregnant women and unborn babies the rate of stillbirth in Australia has not fallen over the last 20 years, the government is investing $3 million for stillbirth education and awareness programs to ensure that mothers, fathers and healthcare professionals are all educated about the risks that lead to stillbirth. A further $1.2 million is for the University of Melbourne, for a research project to minimise preventable stillbirth through the use of biomarkers and ultrasound in late pregnancy. Three million dollars has been allocated through the Medical Research Future Fund to enable the Safer Baby Bundle project, a vital project to be extended to all states and territories. And there is $1.3 million for Sands Australia to deliver an intensive support service for families following miscarriage and stillbirth.

I commend this motion to the chamber, and thank the member for Werriwa for bringing this important issue to the attention of parliament.

Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tomorrow, 15 October, marks International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Tomorrow six Australian babies will be stillborn, as six will be today, as six have been, day after day, for the past 20 years, and probably well beyond that. Tomorrow six Australian families will have their worlds changed unspeakably, as six will be today, and as six have been, day after day, for the past 20 years. Whichever way you put it, this number—one baby every four hours; six babies a day; 2,200 babies a year—has stayed unchanged since records began around 20 years ago. That is some 44,000 Australian babies lost. That is some 44,000 Australian families suffering unspeakable grief. And that is the problem: in this country their grief is truly unspeakable.

As Senator Keneally has explained, collectively as a country we have considered stillbirth too sad a problem to talk about. We have viewed stillbirth as a private tragedy rather than a public health problem. However, I'm sure we can all agree that it is more sad and more tragic if we continue on as we have been, unchanged, in denying the 2,200 Australian babies lost every year the awareness that that they and their families deserve and the hope that things will get better.

In light of International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, I thank the member for Werriwa for her dedication to this cause and for moving this motion in the House today, and I ask that we have courage to break this silence and make stillbirth a national health priority, to follow on from the Senate inquiry into the stillbirth research and education and to act with haste on the recommendations it suggests. These recommendations are relatively simple and inexpensive. They are things such as small changes in clinical care and in the education required that would reduce the stillbirth rate by approximately 30 per cent alone, some of which were mentioned by the previous speaker, the member for Mallee.

What is particularly tragic—and I acknowledge this was just raised by the good member for Mallee—is that this average birthrate is skewed. It is skewed against rural communities and it is skewed against First Nations communities, like so many other health statistics in our country. The further away a woman is from a city, the more likely she is to have a stillbirth. For First Nations mothers, the stillbirth rate is double the national average. These inequalities do not just extend to perinatal health and do not have a quick fix, but they are worthy of our time, our efforts and our priority all the same.

Miscarriages are another tragedy that Australian women are at risk of during pregnancy but, unlike stillbirths, they are, to a greater extent, unavoidable. They are also much more common, affecting one in four Australian women. Yet, like stillbirths, the taboo surrounding miscarriages forces parents into silent suffering and without enough access to the support services that they need. As their elected representatives we must end the silence on lost pregnancies and infant loss in this country and provide the policy direction, the research funding and the support needed to reduce these rates for all of our families once and for all.

Our communities lead the way in this vital work. In my electorate of Lilley we have the Peach Tree Perinatal Wellness centre, led by the inspiring Susannah Holmes and her dedicated and vivacious gang of women. They work day in, day out to support and educate expecting and new parents. In Brisbane we are also lucky enough to host the Australian Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth—the CRE—led by Vicki and her wonderful, dedicated, clever team who have done so much, and who I look forward to seeing tomorrow for the launch of the Safer Baby Bundle. With their assistance and their dedicated work, we have it in our power to reduce the terrible rates of lost pregnancies in this country, especially those that are stillbirths.

We must make haste in doing so because for every day that passes there are another six babies' lives lost that could have been saved. Australian parents who live with lost pregnancies and stillborn babies show some of the greatest resilience in our communities, and this parliament should honour them by doing the same and by making the reduction of stillbirths a public health priority. For the families who live with this loss every day I reiterate my commitment to doing as much as I can and pledging my support, and tomorrow I will grieve and remember with you all.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is not an easy topic to talk about. Tomorrow, 15 October, is International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. This day provides an opportunity for everyone affected by infant loss—the families, healthcare workers and friends—to commemorate their shared loss. Today, I particularly acknowledge my friend Isabella Brown and her family for the recent loss of their beautiful Lenny Lawrence. As mentioned by the member for Werriwa, around 150,000 women in Australia experience some form of pregnancy or infant loss each year, which is an astounding number and doesn't include all of those who would feel this profound loss, including fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings, to name a few.

I think all of us here would remember the public education campaign Back to Sleep by Red Nose Australia, designed to drive awareness of sudden infant death syndrome in the 1980s and 1990s. The tireless work of the organisation's founders was one of Australia's most successful public health campaigns and resulted in an incredible 85 per cent reduction in SIDS and saved the lives of over 10,000 babies.

Sadly, there is still a growing club that no parent ever wants to belong to, a club of heartbroken, devastated parents who have suffered from pregnancy and infant loss. In Australia alone, more than 2,000 babies are stillborn each year, with the cause unknown in approximately 40 per cent of these cases. That's six much-wanted babies every day, as we heard from the previous speaker. That's more than double the national road toll. Incredibly, this number hasn't changed in 20 years, but there has been a shift in focusing on this issue, both at a federal government level and by organisations including Red Nose and SANDS Australia.

On 27 March 2018, the Senate established the Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education to inquire and report on the future of stillbirth research and education in Australia. The committee tabled its report on 4 December 2018. As a result of the report, the federal Minister for Health, the Hon. Greg Hunt, convened a national round table to address the rate of stillbirth in Australia and pledged a commitment of $7.2 million for medical research and education programs, which includes the development of a national action and implementation plan in collaboration with clinicians, researchers and advocacy groups. As we've heard, $3 million of this funding will go towards addressing awareness and programs for women and medical practitioners across Australia. Another $3 million will fund stillbirth research through the Medical Research Future Fund, with research priorities to be guided by the national round table, and $1.2 million is being granted to the University of Melbourne for research to minimise preventable stillbirth through the use of biomarkers and ultrasound in late pregnancy.

In addition, the Morrison government has committed $43.9 million for a new perinatal mental health program, which will help to support the mental health of expectant and new parents in Australia and provide support for families experiencing grief following stillbirth, miscarriage or infant death, and $1.3 million for SANDS Australia to deliver an intensive support service for families following miscarriage and stillbirth.

We can often get caught up in the facts and figures, but we need to remind ourselves that there are real mums and dads behind the statistics who leave the hospital empty-handed. It's these bereaved parents, who are left bewildered, devastated and often without answers, that drives the government's response. We want to ensure that these numbers become obsolete and that no parent has to suffer the loss of their beautiful baby.

Finally, I'd like to acknowledge a number of wonderful organisations that provide assistance and guidance during a time of infant loss, including SANDS Australia, who offer an incredible volunteer peer-to-peer support service for bereaved parents face-to-face and over the phone, including dads, who are often overlooked when we talk about stillbirth; Heartfelt, a volunteer organisation of photographers who capture beautiful images of parents with their stillborn babies and give families a chance to create some cherished memories; Bears of Hope, who provide cuddle cots, a cooling system that lies beneath the baby, to allow families to extend the brief time that they are together with their babies and reduce the distress of separation; and Stillbirth Foundation Australia, who provide research and education in this area, while also providing information around bereavement support. To all the parents and families who have suffered from infant loss, we remember you and your precious babies on this day.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Werriwa for moving this motion, and I thank all the honourable members who are speaking in support of it. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is observed tomorrow, as we've heard, and the day is observed with remembrance ceremonies and candle-lighting vigils, concluding with the Lights of Love International Wave of Light being conducted around the world—circumnavigating the globe, in fact—beginning at 7 pm in each respective time zone, so at 7 pm here in Canberra, and, just to remind the good folk of Darwin where it's still 5.30, it's an hour and a half later. I know that, an hour and a half later, the community members will be out lighting candles there in the Top End. They will be parents, family members, friends, healthcare workers. They will come together to remember babies who have been lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. It is a terrible event for families to go through, but we always remember that the loss is shared by the friends of those who experience it and the health workers who work with them.

It's a day for us to come together to create a greater awareness around the issues of infant loss and pregnancy loss. I am told that there are about 410 losses per day, which is staggering. That's a really devastating blow to families across this country. It's a blow to small communities and tight-knit friendship groups around the country. I just want to thank everyone out there who is working to support someone today who is in that position. It's an incredibly difficult time. There's no more terrible thing than the loss of the child, and the suffering can continue afterwards as further issues are faced. There is often depression and even post-traumatic stress because it is such a traumatic event. I've been close to it and I know that it's incredibly important that friends and family don't just give space to the people coping with that profound loss but rather wrap their arms around them. Tomorrow is a great day to remind us all about the support that's needed and to build awareness. As the motion states, greater research and understanding are required to aid in the establishment of programs, resources and services that support people in that time of need. That is incredibly important.

I'd like to acknowledge the great work done in my electorate of Solomon by Sarah Roberts and the team at SIDS and Kids NT, and the wider team at Bereaved Parent Support NT. Statistics show that in the past five years the Northern Territory has experienced the highest number of child deaths per capita occurring during the first year of life. In particular areas of the Northern Territory, as many as one in three pregnancies may be lost. The reason the figure could be that high is that it's often the case that some mothers don't report an early miscarriage. With the very transient population we have in the Northern Territory, we have shocking rates of loss of pregnancy and infant loss. I just want to commend everyone who is working so hard in that area.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throughout my career as a paediatrician, I have seen firsthand the experiences of parents and parents-to-be and how varied those experiences can be. Some people are lucky enough to have a baby that is happy, safe, thriving. Others are not so fortunate. For some, the hope and expectation of the impending delivery are dashed when things go terribly wrong. For those who suffer infant loss, either in pregnancy or soon after, the physical and emotional tolls are painful and traumatic.

In Australia these experiences are, unfortunately, all too common, experienced by 150,000 women each year, of which 147,000 are miscarriages. There are 1,750 stillbirths each year. That's six families affected each and every day. Each year, 850 babies die in the first 28 days after birth. Sadly, each year, three out of every 1,000 babies born in Australia die before they reach 12 months of age. What's more, the deep and ongoing emotional effects bought on by these tragic events are often underestimated and overlooked. They include depression, anxiety, changes in relationships, development of unhealthy coping strategies and post-traumatic stress disorders.

While the subsequent grief associated with pregnancy and infancy loss is common, it is often a private grief. Between my third and fourth child, I experienced a miscarriage. The loss was devastating. As I highlighted in my first speech, words like 'widow' and 'orphan' describe loss, but there are no words to describe the loss of an infant. Every parent has the right to hope for a child, and we must undertake every effort to ensure that our systems provide compassionate, individualised and skilled levels of support both during and after loss.

Tomorrow, 15 October, is international Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It marks an official occasion to acknowledge that pregnancy and infant loss is a shared loss. Together we take the opportunity to promote greater awareness, remembrance and support of the individuals, families and communities that are affected irrevocably by these terrible losses. Whilst this is the month when we talk about our great losses, I'm also optimistic about the great strides in research into transformative technologies that help prevent infant loss—therapies that help to ensure premature babies actually survive and don't just survive but thrive.

The Morrison government recognise the devastation that pregnancy and infant loss has on families, and that is why we are taking pragmatic steps to invest in supporting these families throughout our $52 million perinatal service and support package. This investment includes $43 million for a new perinatal mental health program to support the mental health of expectant and new parents in Australia and provide support for families experiencing grief following stillbirth, miscarriage or infant death. Further, it includes a $7 million investment for stillbirth measures, including a stillbirth education and awareness program, research to minimise preventable stillbirth and investment in the Safer Baby Bundle project, a new initiative to reduce Australia's high rate of stillbirth. Lastly, the investment will provide an improved and targeted intensive support service for families during the vulnerable and challenging period following miscarriage and stillbirth. Additionally, the government has also tabled its response to the report of the 2018 Senate Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education and has agreed in principle to all recommendations made by the committee, including to the development of a national stillbirth action plan to reduce the rate of stillbirth and to improve quality of care in relation to stillbirth.

Those affected by pregnancy and infant loss should not suffer alone. Today, we pause to remember the babies that have been lost. Every day we should work towards a future where this burden is reduced and all Australians are afforded the support they require, particularly when they are at their most vulnerable. I commend to the House the member for Werriwa's private members' motion.

Trent Zimmerman (North Sydney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allocated for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting day.