Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this MPI. It is a very significant issue in the Australian community and one that all sides of politics, all parts of this chamber, would certainly acknowledge as such. I certainly agree with Senator Griff that it is an absolutely tragic set of circumstances and an issue that society as a whole needs to get a lot better at tackling.

One thing I perhaps would be very interested in finding out—and I had a quick attempt earlier today to try and find this information; I couldn't find it—and it is perhaps contrary to what Senator Griff said, is: how many people out there truly believe it is safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy? Not whether they do it or not, because people do many things that, unfortunately, they know are very dangerous, both to them and to their unborn child but how many people actually know? I suspect the vast majority would know. What that percentage is is probably worthwhile finding out to know just how effective the public health campaigns in this space have been. I would certainly endorse that. Sadly, in my home state of Western Australia, this is a very real issue. There was a significant study undertaken by the Telethon Kids Institute, which is a wonderful institute in my home state of Western Australia that looks into a variety of health matters affecting children. It was undertaking groundbreaking research into the prevalence of FASD in Western Australia. Sadly, this research is now a little out of date. It looked at the situation from 1980 to 2010. There was something like 210 identified cases, which is remarkably small, I would say. Unfortunately, I think everyone in this chamber knows that the problem has grown significantly worse since then. It is important that government focuses on it and tackles it, which this government has been doing.

The impacts of FASD cannot be understated. It produces significant problems with learning and behaviour. Again, as Senator Griff pointed out, the number of people involved in the criminal justice system who are affected by FASD is quite significant. It includes physical changes. There are certain facial characteristics and certain facial features that have been associated with FASD, such as a short horizontal length of the eye opening from the inner corner to the outer corner and changes the structure of the upper lip and the nose. We're actually not just talking about changes to the structure of the brain but also talking about actual physical changes to those children. Obviously, those children grow up to be adults.

There are learning and behavioural problems, obviously, which are the most well known aspects of this. These include learning difficulties, memory problems, trouble with impulse control, trouble with attention span, ease of distraction, a degree of hyperactivity and difficulty in understanding the consequences of one's actions, which obviously has significant flow-on effects in terms of potential aggression and encounters with the criminal justice system. There is also difficulty in following instructions, difficulty with abstract thinking, slow cognition and difficulty with social relationships, something that is obviously very important to the wellbeing of children and children as they grow into adults.

The National Health and Medical Research Council does publish guidelines on reducing the health risk of drinking alcohol. That guidance is fairly clear on drinking alcohol whilst pregnant or breastfeeding. The guidelines state:

Women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding should not drink at all.

The guidelines on this matter are very clear. They go on to say:

The greatest harm to the foetus or breastfeeding infant occurs when drinking is at high and frequent levels, but no level of drinking is considered safe.

That has been the NHMRC guidelines since at least 2009. Again, I tried to check whether it predates that—I suspect it does—but I couldn't find that out. That is a very clear guideline from the NHMRC and something that I think needs to be—if it's not, and, as I say, I do not know the level of knowledge in the community on this issue—very, very well known.

Again, contrary to Senator Griff's position, the government has taken action and continues to take action in this area. The government is committed to reducing alcohol-related harms to all Australians. Since 2014, the Australian government has committed $27 million to reducing the impact of FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This began in the 2016-17 budget, when the Australian government committed $10.5 million over four years—that is, 2016 to 2019-20—to take more action on FASD by building on earlier action plans. Funding is being provided for a range of activities including online telephone support for individuals and families affected by the disorder, improved access to diagnostic services, and prevention and education action across the country, obviously with an emphasis on communities of highest need, because, sadly, what the evidence shows is that this problem is not exclusive to but has a significant impact on Aboriginal communities in my home state of Western Australia. Therefore, the messages, the information and the support that need to be given have to be highly targeted and need to get to the people where it can have the most effect.

In November 2018, Minister Hunt launched the FASD Strategic Action Plan. To support the FASD Strategic Action Plan, the Australian government committed further funding of $7.2 million for activities that align with the priority areas of the ongoing strategic action plan: prevention, screening and diagnosis, management and support, and funding of priority groups. Funding is broken down: $1.47 million for prevention; $1.2 million for screening and diagnosis; $1.2 million to inform schools and workplaces and to support the justice and policing sectors; $1.27 million to tailor solutions to local communities; and just over $1½ million to continue existing activities, including the continued development of a one-stop shop digital hub for information tools, research and consumer support.

This is a life-long physiological and neurodevelopmental impairment. It's a condition that is an outcome of parents either not being aware of the dangers of alcohol use or not being supported to stay healthy and strong during pregnancy. There is no cure for FASD and its effects will last a lifetime for those impacted. People with FASD can get help to do with learning and behaviour to maximise their independence and maximise their achievements over the course of their life.

Once again, this is a very important issue. It's something that the government and the health minister take very seriously and it's something that the government is acting on.