Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Bilyk and Sterle, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) 3 to 9 June 2019 was World Haemochromatosis Week,

(ii) around 1 in 200 Australians have the genetic risk for haemochromatosis – or inherited iron overload disorder – making it the most common genetic disorder in Australia,

(iii) if detected, haemochromatosis is easy to treat, yet it can be fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated, and

(iv) during that week, Haemochromatosis Australia was promoting the message "TEST: Tricky to say, Easy to test, Simple to treat, Tragic to ignore"; and

(b) urges all members and senators to raise awareness among their constituents of:

(i) the early symptoms of haemochromatosis, such as fatigue and joint pain,

(ii) the dangers of experiencing the more severe symptoms of iron overload, such as organ failure, and

(iii) the importance of asking their doctor for a blood test to check their risk of iron overload.

Question agreed to.