Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senator Steele-John, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Tuesday 12 May 2020 was Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Awareness Day,

  (ii) ME and CFS are complex, multi-system conditions affecting up to 250,000 Australians – around 25% are so unwell that they are unable to leave home or bed, ME/CFS which affects mostly women and girls – it is a highly misunderstood and underrepresented area of medicine and this has had significant implications for people who journey with it,

  (iii) for too long people who journey with ME/CFS have been ignored, belittled and written-off by society and their government and have been denied care and have suffered discrimination due to outdated and poorly formulated medical guidelines; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to ensure dedicated funding to biomedical research, and increased awareness across our healthcare and social support systems so that people with ME/CFS can have access to the support and care they need.

Question agreed to.