Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every woman has a story of experiencing bias in the healthcare system, a story of being dismissed or ignored, a story of delayed diagnosis, a story of overmedication, a story of not being heard. I have my own story of bias in the health system, and I want to share part of that for Women's Health Week this week.

A number of years ago I experienced some very strange pain all of a sudden, and I saw my GP. I had blood tests. I was sent to emergency. I was returned to emergency three times before something finally happened, which was that I had my appendix removed. I did not need my appendix removed. It was discovered that I had a tumour the size of a grapefruit in my uterus. I was told after emergency surgery that, if I were older, they would have considered giving me a hysterectomy. I was really traumatised by this experience of being turned away, of not being listened to and, potentially, of having a decision made about my body that I wouldn't have made. In sharing this story, I hope it encourages other women in our community to share their stories through the end gender bias survey by the National Women's Health Advisory Council. We can't fix what we don't know, so it's so important that these stories of bias in the healthcare system are shared so that we can fix the problems that are in our communities.

We are, though, really lucky to have some incredible researchers in our country who are leading the world in research into women's health. This Women's Health Week I wanted to highlight some absolutely incredible women's health research happening in my electorate of Chisholm. I recently had the great honour of officially launching the 2023 international PCOS guideline at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation at Monash University. This guideline is the culmination of the work of hundreds and hundreds of people from around the world, but it was led by Australia. There were 750 healthcare professionals and consumers involved in the development of the 2023 guideline, and this is a truly multidisciplinary, diverse group of people. There were academics involved, researchers, medical professionals, scientists, allied health professionals and, really importantly, consumers—people living with PCOS. The guideline was led by Professor Helena Teede, a world expert on PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, is a highly prevalent condition affecting about 12 per cent of women. It is undiagnosed, underresearched and misunderstood. It has been misclassified for a long time now as a reproductive disorder of the ovaries, despite the far-reaching implications of PCOS on metabolic, endocrine, dermatologic, psychological, sleep and pregnancy health. PCOS is something I care deeply about. I know many people with PCOS. With one in eight women worldwide having PCOS, we probably all know someone or multiple people who have been diagnosed with PCOS. World-leading research into PCOS and women's health is happening in my electorate of Chisholm, and I'm really proud of all of the work being done, and proud to be able to support all of those involved in this important work.

Although the guideline is evidence based, the contributors emphasise that the research and evidence into PCOS is still low to moderate in quality. This is a serious condition with serious, wide-ranging effects impacting millions of women in our country. Again, this impacts one in eight women. It deserves attention, research and continued investment.

I'm really pleased and proud to be part of a government that is prioritising women's health. Not only are we undertaking our end gender bias survey; we are also taking other steps to make sure that women's health is a priority for our nation. This year we granted a substantial increase in funding through our Medical Research Future Fund to support the development of PCOS resources and tools, including the quite remarkable AskPCOS app. This app and PCOS translation program reaches 196 countries around the world and is available in multiple languages. It is very well utilised by patients who have PCOS.

Our government's funding will continue to advance the personalisation, interactivity, self-management and analysis of individual data. This is going to really improve shared decision-making between patients and their doctors, improve information, improve models of care and provide really important support to people with PCOS. It will also mean that we can expand the AskPCOS App translation to 11 languages, expanding on the four languages that are currently available.

I'm really pleased that our government is taking women's health so seriously. I really hope that the stories we hear from women all the time—and my own story too—are not things we continue to hear into the future, because we have improved the quality of care. We've done the work to work with medical schools and health networks right across the country to improve the understanding of medical professionals when it comes to listening to women and having better ways to diagnose issues that may disproportionately affect women.

We know that cardiovascular disease is the biggest killer of women over 60. Again, this is poorly understood in Australia, given that a lot of the research we have historically relied on to understand cardiovascular illnesses has predominantly looked at the way it has presented in men. Clearly, we need to break down the gender bias here too, to be able to save lives. So I was delighted to hear the assistant minister's statement this morning in the House, and I'm looking forward to keeping on working in the government to make sure that women's health is the priority it ought to be.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm really pleased to speak on this during Women's Health Week, whose theme is 'grow your knowledge'. I think that is a theme that all of us, as members of parliament, should personally embrace. I myself, a woman, had very little understanding of issues such as endometriosis before becoming a member of parliament. I must really acknowledge the former member for Boothby, who was a very big champion in this place on the issue of endometriosis. For so long endometriosis and menopause have been issues that are not spoken about; they're whispered. And what we need to do is bring them out into the fore, particularly with respect to endometriosis.

This is an issue that affects one in nine women. For a young woman in my community it took years for her to be diagnosed, and it takes several years for most women to be diagnosed with endometriosis. For her it was so bad that by the time she was diagnosed the only avenue available to her—a young woman not yet 30—was a hysterectomy. It is appalling that we have a system with respect to women's health where they are underdiagnosed. Given that it's one in nine women, many GPs are not immediately asking women, 'Have we thought about endometriosis?' Rather, than in many cases women are told: 'It's usual to have that level of period pain. It's usual to have those symptoms.' I've heard some women say that they were told that it was really all in their head and they just needed to go home and have a Panadol.

We're seeing inroads into specialist endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. They are being established across the country. One of the great shames in South Australia was that the only clinic established in South Australia was in Kadina. It's been fantastic for those who live in Kadina, but it's only now that we have heard from the assistant health minister, after a lot of advocacy particularly from myself and, I'm sure, other members, that we're going to have a clinic in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Imagine being a young woman suffering with endometriosis and the closest clinic to you, the only clinic in South Australia, is several hours away, and you live in the metropolitan area. I'm pleased that the government has fixed this, but it took a lot of advocacy to get there—and I think very unnecessary.

Women with menopause are finally able to share data on platforms such as VITAL, a national perimenopause initiative, to help grow knowledge about menopause and how to survive and thrive.

This is an area of health that has been so neglected. I'm of a certain age now. For us women who are going through menopause, there is very little support available to know what to do: 'Is this normal? Where do I go? Are there treatments available?' There was a very big scare around hormone replacement therapy. A lot of women are not having hormone replacement therapy. A lot of women are not seeing their GP about this, and, unfortunately, a lot of GPs do not have a lot of knowledge in this area to properly support their patients. We need to get real when it comes to women's health. Our health shouldn't just be focused on our reproductive years; it needs to be across the whole life span.

Across the board women spend more on health care, with the ABC recently reporting rising out-of-pocket costs for radiology, particularly for women—that is, for pregnancy ultrasounds. When I had an ultrasound the first one was very expensive; I think they get slightly cheaper as you go. But what you do if you don't have that money in your bank account? The 2022 Grattan Institute report also showed women spend more on health care over their lifetime, from pregnancy through to menopause and complex health conditions such as cancer.

I want to raise lymphedema. This is another issue we're not talking about that has huge debilitating effects, particularly for women post breast cancer treatment. The cost with respect to getting the bandages you need to wear—if you don't wear those bandages, you have enormous swelling. It has huge health impacts, and a lot of women really struggle with the lack of support and the lack of information around. In my community, women have banded together and created their own lymphedema support network.

There is a lack of bulk-billing even for the self-collection option of cervical screening. Just last week I had an email from a constituent who was ready to do her self-collection cervical screening, but she needed to have a GP appointment to collect the script in order to do it. The challenge is finding the money for that GP service. We really need to ensure, if a patient is going to do their own personal cervical screening, that it is a requirement that GPs bulk-bill that treatment. We're seeing women foregoing having that cervical screening simply because of cost, and that's dangerous.

There are strict limitations on magnetic resonance imaging, MRIs, under Medicare for breast scans for women with breast density issues or a high genetic risk of cancer. We're talking about several hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket fees. I've heard from one constituent regarding high fees for radiotherapy following breast cancer. The Cancer Council confirms this concern, citing inconsistent radiotherapy charges across postcodes and providers. This is an area that desperately needs review, with health funds unable to cover sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of out-of-pocket costs because it's seen as an outpatient service. We need to do much more to support women with significant conditions, with earlier and better screening.

We just need to be heard. Women need to be listened to more. When my children were young and I took them to the doctor, my biggest pet peeve was when the doctor—who knew my name—turned to me and went, 'Oh, it's okay, Mum.' It is the most demeaning, condescending treatment you can experience in a GP clinic. I think we need to listen to women and support women. Menopause and endometriosis are not just things in your head; these are clinical issues women are experiencing. We need to ensure the support is there. I hope to see this Women's Health Week raise awareness for these issues and help ensure they are properly funded into the future, and that women feel respected and supported when they're in a medical facility.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is really significant that in Women's Health Week we are discussing what isn't working in terms of keeping women healthy and helping them find treatment for conditions that they experience.

We know that every woman has a story about not being listened to by a GP and not being able to get to the bottom of a condition or symptoms that they are experiencing—of not even being sure if it's worth going to the doctor. When you combine many of things that have been talked about in this chamber already—women experiencing endometriosis, fertility issues, perimenopause and menopause—there is a lifetime of women's health issues for women to engage with. We want women to tell us their stories. That is the first step in being able to address the issues from a systemic perspective—to get our health system working better for women.

We particularly want to hear from the communities that often experience additional challenges. I know that people with mental health issues often find it much harder to get treatments for physical ailments that they are going through. We know that First Nations people have challenges in engaging with the system. There are people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, the LGBTIQ+ community and people from regional and remote communities—and that includes many parts of my electorate where it's a really long drive to get to a GP. And, of course, there are people with disabilities. So we are asking for feedback. The way to provide that is to go to the health department's online portal. With that survey, we want people to think about whether they've had delayed diagnosis, whether they've been concerned about over-medicating, whether they've had their pain or other symptoms dismissed or whether their treatment is not suitable. We want to hear those stories. That will be one of the really key outcomes of Women's Health Week—if every woman can jump on and fill in that survey.

We already have some insights into the things that challenge people. I've spoken previously about menopause and the fact that we are now talking about it, which is a start. We want to do more than talk, though; we want to take action to really address those issues. One of the issues that we have already started to tackle is the challenge for women trying to get treatment for endometriosis and pelvic pain. I was delighted that, over the weekend, we were able to announce an additional endo and pelvic pain clinic in Western Sydney. Two clinics in Sydney were already announced by the Albanese government, but this third Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic at the Rouse Hill Town Medial and Dental centre in Western Sydney will make access for people in my electorate—in the Hawkesbury, in the mountains, across through Penrith, around the hills and in the north west Sydney area in particular—much easier.

This is part of an Australia-first rollout that we have done in government to make sure women have access to multidisciplinary care to help diagnose and treat endometriosis and pelvic pain. Endo stories are really quite hidden. A year ago, I held an event to bring together women who've suffered from endometriosis. It was an extraordinary gathering of young women, older women, sisters and mothers who all understood that this was a condition that was not being well identified, diagnosed or treated, and that women suffering from this were carrying a really big burden. As it turned out, that was a day I had COVID. My daughter, who is an endo sufferer, was able to be there in my place and share her story of the challenges of getting appropriate treatment.

The research tells us that nearly 50 per cent of women experience pelvic pain at some stage, and up to half of those women won't discuss their symptoms with a doctor. It has a significant impact on their lives. It affects their ability to work, study and care for their family. From a productivity perspective, it's costing the Australian economy almost $10 billion a year, so this is worth investing in. One in nine women identify as having endo. That is why these clinics are so important, supported by the work we're doing as part of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis.

When we talk about bringing these specialised services together in these locations, what are we talking about? They're practices that already have expertise in treating women with pelvic pain and endo, and they bring together a whole range of specialisations, not just those of a GP. There is no one fix for it. This is the other key thing. There is no one pathway for treating endometriosis or pelvic pain. That's why all those specialisations need to be brought together under one roof.

I also want to touch on some of the other areas where, as a government, we have already started to put women's health front and centre. That's not to take away from the fact that, over many years, we've had to work hard to get men to talk about their health, too. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't hear the word 'prostate' come out of any middle-aged man's mouth. So we have made real achievements there. Now, we're refocusing on some of the things for women that have been overlooked. We're doing that through the Women's Health Advisory Council. That starts the conversation, particularly for people to bring to light instances where there is a gender bias in treatment. I've talked about our endometriosis initiatives, and I'm so looking forward to young women not having to go to a multitude of different doctors but being able to go to one place and get the treatment that helps them.

We've also looked at miscarriage. We've provided $5 million over four years to deliver high-quality, evidence based bereavement care for women and their families, especially in higher risk populations that have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage. This is another area of women's health that is often just not focused on because it's such a difficult area to talk about. We've also looked at IVF and committed $11.6 million over four years for the ongoing assisted reproductive technology storage funding program. This is a payment of up to $600 a year to support patients who face extra costs to preserve their fertility because they have cancer or are at risk of passing on a genetic condition. This is another painful area for women and their families.

We've also looked at long consults with a GP. Over 60 per cent of the longer consultations are used by women, and we've committed nearly $100 million to introduce a new item for consultations of 60 minutes or more to support better access and affordability for patients with chronic conditions and complex needs. That will absolutely support women, whether it's around mental health conditions, whether it's around family, domestic and sexual violence or whether it's around chronic conditions, as well as reproductive health matters and menopause. We're also looking at, over four years, a longitudinal study. We need the data. There's a gap, and we really need data that supports women's and girls' health outcomes.

These are just some of the initiatives that we've taken. One of the wonderful things women get to do is to have babies, and building a maternity workforce is key. This is a government that is serious about seeing improvements in women's health.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to support the member for Macquarie's comments around the Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic for women in Western Sydney. In terms of the work on endometriosis, the support has always been bipartisan, I think, in this place, and it's pleasing that we are making some progress in ensuring better treatment and care for women who suffer so much pain from this condition.

I'd also like to consider the responses of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the shadow minister for women. I'll take a couple of moments to highlight some of the measures the coalition took, when we were in government, to improve the outcomes for women's health. These measures include over $100 million for improvements to cervical cancer and breast cancer screening programs to help detect these life-threatening cancers earlier, which can lead to improving survival rates across the nation. There was almost $100 million for new tests on the Medicare Benefits Schedule for pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos for specific genetic abnormalities. The work that is being done in the genetic space is extraordinary. I hope that all levels of government continue to invest in this technology in the future and ensure that Australia is at the forefront, globally, which I know we are.

The coalition provided almost $50 million to support the mental health and wellbeing of new and expectant parents, including funding for the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia helpline and, by working to deliver universal perinatal mental health screening and improved data collection across public antenatal and postnatal care sessions. I'm very passionate about mental health and investment in this space, particularly for women who are in the stage of their lives when they're thinking about having children or are having children and also as they go through menopause and experience mental health issues during that time—a time which is coming, as the member for Macquarie said. Menopause is something that we're talking about more, and it's coming more into the light. It's something that we should be seriously addressing.

Other coalition measures included almost $27 million to provide support for people with eating disorders and their families, noting that women account for almost two-thirds of eating disorder diagnoses; $22 million for additional gynaecology items on the MBS, including for assisted reproductive technology and long-term reversible contraceptives; $21.6 million for women's health initiatives, including Jean Hailes for Women's Health and the Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia—again for endometriosis; almost $20 million for the PBS listing of Oripro to prevent women going into premature labour; almost $14 million for the Australian Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance to reduce preterm birth rates; and $6.6 million for Breast Cancer Network Australia to operate its helpline, provide rural and regional information forums and extend its consumer representative training programs.

I now come to this year's budget relating to women's health. I've discussed certain points previously during consideration in detail on the budget, but I want to emphasise that the coalition is strongly committed to health, to improving the health, safety and wellbeing of Australians, and to ensuring that all Australians have affordable access to the health care they need across our country. As we have stated, we will support good policy put forward by this government in this area, but, equally, we will not hesitate to hold the government to account where we feel they could be doing better.

A measure that has our support is the provision of $16.8 million to introduce a new MBS item for a test that determines a patient's risk of recurrent breast cancer. We know that genetic testing is a way to increase early diagnosis of breast cancer and to increase breast cancer prevention for at-risk women, so it's great that this women's health item will be listed on the MBS. The absence of key funding for ovarian cancer is a concern, though. We were disappointed to see that the government didn't come to the table on Ovarian Cancer Australia's budget submission. We would like to see that rectified in future budgets. As the opposition leader stated in the budget reply speech, the coalition has a proud record in committing funding for endometriosis, stillbirths, breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

In continuing this strong support for women's health, the opposition leader committed to investing $4 million in Ovarian Cancer Australia so that they can continue their critical work of supporting women battling ovarian cancer and also supporting their families. Additional support in this area can make a serious impact on the lives of those battling this horrific cancer.

Further, a coalition government will allocate $5 million to review women-specific health items on the MBS and corresponding treatments on the PBS. The review would identify what best-practice women-specific medical services are not listed and ensure clinically effective services and treatments remain affordable and accessible. Additionally, it will help to determine where additional funding is required to better support women's health and wellbeing. It is really critical that Australian women have affordable access to the health care they need, which is why it is, as I said, a disappointment that the government didn't provide the support for the brave women across the country battling ovarian cancer.

We know that the health of Australian women and girls is also critical to their overall wellbeing. That's why, when we were last in government, we provided significant funding to initiatives supporting the maternal reproductive health of Australian women and girls that would support the National Women's Health Strategy 2020-2030.

We understand that one in nine Australian women are affected by endometriosis, which can affect women's health, fertility, education and employment outcomes. I noted that the member for Macquarie, in her speech, talked about the announcement of an endometriosis and pain clinic in Western Sydney. I'd like to add that the coalition invested $58 million to support women to get diagnosis earlier and to ensure women with endometriosis have access to resources to make informed choices for their own health, and doctors will be provided with guidance on the best treatment plans. The coalition was pleased to see this government commit to funding our $58 million package for endometriosis and pelvic pain, which is what we're seeing come through with these pain clinics across the country.

We recognise how important this investment is for women who need it. Another key measure the coalition will take to the election is a return of something I'm really passionate about: the Better Access program for the 20 Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions. This is a significant measure for women, given the rise in mental health issues, particularly mental health issues impacting girls. According to Beyond Blue, in Australia, during their lifetime, around one in six women will experience depression and around one in three women will experience anxiety. Women also experience post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders at higher rates than men. These are alarming statistics, which is why the coalition wants families to be able to have more government assistance for girls and women and wants to help them financially when they're reaching out for help. In a cost-of-living crisis the government should never have taken away the mechanisms to support families and women in accessing mental health treatment.

In Women's Health Week, I also want to give a special shout-out to all the female workers on the front line in the healthcare, medical research, technology and medtech sectors. They do such an amazing job, and I'd like to say that we can't thank you enough for your contribution to the betterment of women's health across this country.

Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about Women's Health Week and the importance of equal access to safe, effective, affordable and appropriate healthcare services and support for Australian women and girls. The Albanese Labor government has made women's health a priority and is working to break down the barriers to women accessing the quality care they need and deserve. We are ensuring that Australian women and girls have the equitable access they deserve to health care and we are addressing the significant biases that exist in health care on the basis of gender. This is a priority for our government.

But, first, I'd like to talk about a girl of 14 from country Victoria who, back in early 1985, was experiencing significant pain on the right side of her lower abdomen. She was sent to the local hospital with suspected appendicitis. Upon examination under general anaesthetic, the male GP who was operating discovered the appendix wasn't really that inflamed, so he went looking further and found instead a large, egg-sized dermoid cyst on her right ovary. Without pausing the operation or consulting the girl's mother, who was waiting anxiously in the hospital waiting room, the GP made the decision to remove the cyst, as well as the girl's whole ovary. When the girl awoke, groggily thinking she'd just had her appendix removed, she was being told, at the age of 14, 'Don't worry, you'll still be able to have kids of your own.' That girl was me.

I then went on to experience more dermoid cysts on my left—and remaining—ovary from the age of 16 to 20 and was told the pill was the only option to keep these types of ovarian cysts from forming. I had more operations at the age of 20 to remove them and, when I went off the pill one time and they'd begun forming again, I was told to just stay on the pill if I ever wanted to have kids of my own. I did that until the age of 25, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told by my oncologist at the time that the pill could be dangerous and that I needed to cease taking it if I wanted to avoid a recurrence of breast cancer.

I was then, at the age of 25, put in the situation of choosing a possible cancer recurrence over one day having kids of my own. I didn't even know at that point if I wanted to have kids. It was all too much to handle. I went off the pill, as I wanted to avoid having a recurrence at all costs. Of course, this meant the dermoid cysts returned, and then my remaining ovary was at risk of dying. I had an operation to remove a dermoid cyst that had formed within the centre of the ovary and was lucky enough to have a fantastic, qualified gynaecologist who was able to conserve enough ovarian tissue for me to be able to conceive my son in late 2000 and then my daughter in late 2003. Without this man's expertise I might not have my two beautiful kids, who are now 22 and 19 years old—I'm sorry, but I get a bit emotional.

Because that remaining ovary were so tiny, I then started having hot flushes at 37 years of age. I knew what this was and had been half expecting it. I told my GP, but I was fobbed off—almost laughed at, in fact. I got a gynaecologist's appointment, but he also fobbed me off when I asked for a menopause test. He told me I was way too young, even though he had my complete medical history before him. I was so infuriated by this. Finally, he granted me a blood test to see if I was going through premature menopause, almost to shut me up, I felt. It came back positive; I knew it would. He couldn't even give me the results himself, preferring to get his receptionist to give them to me over the phone—in a very chirpy matter, no less. I was pretty upset, to say the least.

In my view, I believe the male GP from the country hospital should never have acted in the way he did in removing my right ovary without proper consultation first. It should never have happened like that to a 14-year-old girl. There was no warning—nothing. I should have been referred to a qualified gynaecologist at the very least to see if my ovary could've been saved. That's my personal story.

Ged Kearney has established the National Women's Health Advisory Council, consisting of leading Australian experts in women's health to advise on the barriers facing women and girls in the health system and how the government can address them. I'm very passionate about this. The council is focusing on four key areas: research; safety; access, care and outcomes; and empowerment. Ged Kearney and the council are undertaking a widespread consultation across the country and they're hearing that every woman, like myself, has a story, but nobody has ever asked them to tell it. The bias against women in the health system is deeply embedded.

The reality is that women have been dismissed and ignored as far back as we have recorded, their ailments chalked up to hysteria, hormones or just women's weakness. The consequences of this bias are dire—misdiagnosis, under or over prescribing—and the problem bleeds into a lack of medical research and a lack of an evidence base for how conditions affect women. For example, women were excluded from clinical trials until the 1990s. A perfect example of this is how women make up 70 per cent of chronic pain condition patients, however 80 per cent of pain medications have only been tested on men.

We know that often these experiences in the health system can be sensitive and difficult to share—yes, they are—so being able to share their experiences in their own language can be really helpful for people. All components of the consultation are available in 17 languages.

I urge anyone who has faced or witnessed gender bias in the health system to tell us about it. You can find the council's survey by visiting health.gov.au and searching 'women's council'. We can't fix what we don't know, and an Australia-first public consultation is an important step towards understanding the issue and how best to address it.

Endometriosis and pelvic pain—endometriosis affects at least one in nine Australian women and can have an extensive devastating impact on the daily lives of those with the condition. Sufferers wait on average seven years before diagnosis. New research shows that one in two Australian women experience pelvic pain and half of those women do not discuss their symptoms with a doctor despite significant impacts on work or study. I'm experiencing pelvic pain right now because of the many operations I've had over the years. I'm experiencing pain right now and have for years because of adhesions, and I can't get anyone to help me with that pain, so I know about this from personal experience.

The impact of pelvic pain is felt beyond individuals as it is estimated to cost the Australian economy almost $10 billion a year. We, as a government, have committed a $53 million package to support endometriosis and pelvic pain management. A key component of this commitment was establishing 22 specialised endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across Australia, providing multidisciplinary care with a focus on reducing diagnostic delay and promoting early access to intervention, care and treatment options for endometriosis and pelvic pain.

Miscarriage—early pregnancy loss, or miscarriage, is the most common pregnancy complication and can be a devastating and traumatic experience for parents, their families and support people. It can have significant personal, social and sometimes financial consequences. The government has provided $5.1 million over four years from 2022-23 to deliver high-quality evidence-based bereavement care for women and families from higher risk population groups who experience stillbirth or miscarriage, including First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse families, refugee and migrated communities, women and families living in rural and remote areas and women younger than 20 years.

IVF—the Albanese government is committed to supporting Australians to access a wide range of assisted reproductive technology treatments, including IVF, by providing rebates for services listed on the Medicare Benefits Schedule and subsidising medications available through the PBS.

I could talk about this from a personal perspective until the cows come home, but I'm running out of time. The measures that the Albanese government are taking to address these issues are very welcome to people like me and to families whose members have experienced endometriosis. I can't speak more highly of them. Thank you.

Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was a very powerful speech. Thank you.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 11 : 2 9