Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently held my annual community Christmas function in Bathurst. It was there that I caught up with Micah Phillips. Micah is a terrific young bloke who has experienced his fair share of knocks in his 27 years. He lives in the wonderful town of Tarana in my electorate, and he has had a pretty tough run in life. Shortly after moving there in 2008, at the age of 15, Micah was on a camp with his local TAFE class in the Lidsdale national park. During that camp, he was bitten by two ticks—one on his leg and the other on his head. This is when Micah's life changed forever.

For 12 years, he has lived with chronic pain and debilitating headaches, and he is often wheelchair bound. What started out as flulike symptoms and rashes soon escalated. At the time, he was told by doctors that the symptoms would pass and to go home. 'You'll be right,' they said, but Micah wasn't right. Micah recounts that he was subsequently misdiagnosed with suspected motor neurone disease and told there was nothing more that could be done to help him. Micah did not accept this diagnosis and told me that he was even admitted to a psychiatric facility on two separate occasions during the early period of his illness, with doctors and specialists convinced his pain and symptoms were purely psychological. As I said, it has been a tough time for Micah.

He told me that, when his sister moved to Queensland for university, she read about someone who suffered from a tick-borne illness with similar symptoms to Micah's. Convinced he might have found an answer to his mysterious illness, he went on a waiting list to see a tick-borne illness specialist, and, after exhaustive testing, his results came back positive for tick-borne sickness. Micah also recounts that he shared this information with a local hospital, and it was again proposed that he be admitted to a psychiatric facility for believing he suffered from tick-borne illness such as Lyme disease. Lyme disease, or an Australian version of it, is not formally recognised by medical authorities in Australia.

Unfortunately, what happened to Micah is an all too common story among those suffering from tick-borne illnesses. As a final report of a 2016 Senate inquiry found:

What is clear, however, is that potentially infectious pathogens are being transmitted by Australian ticks, and treatment for the ensuing illnesses is currently suboptimal.

The inquiry went on to say, 'People are sick and they must be helped.' Micah and other sufferers would certainly agree with that. There needs to be more funding for research, including clinical trials, and better education amongst the medical profession and the wider community about tick-borne illnesses and how to treat them. Above all, there needs to be compassion and understanding shown to sufferers of these illnesses, particularly from those who are turned to for help, support and treatment. Sufferers deserve nothing less. I know I join our community in offering Micah and the many other sufferers of tick-borne illnesses our support and best wishes for their treatment and recovery.