Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the government's response to the Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education report and, in a rare measure of unanimity, congratulate the government on accepting the recommendations of the stillbirth report—in particular, the recommendations to accept the need to have an action plan to reduce the rate of stillbirth by 20 per cent over the coming years. There are a number of recommendations that the government accepted in principle. I hope, for the sake of all of the people who are concerned about stillbirths, particularly the people who've suffered the tragedy of stillbirth, that accepting those recommendations in principle still means that they are going to be acted upon.

In our committee hearings and the inquiry chaired by Senator McCarthy, with a degree of leadership from Senator Keneally, we heard about the tragic nature of stillbirth in Australia, the stark rate of six babies a day that were dying of stillbirth and the level of taboo and silence that was still around stillbirth in Australia. These are the key issues that we explored. Also explored were the fact that the rate is higher in culturally and linguistically diverse communities and in Indigenous communities, and the need for targeted action to address that; how so many of the actions were quite simple things, particularly listening to women and medical practitioners valuing what women are telling them; and having models of continuity of care so that women working with their medical practitioners through their pregnancy have a relationship with their health practitioners, know that they will be listened to and know that their opinions will be valued.

I look forward to seeing the outcomes of these recommendations and the government's acceptance of these recommendations being rolled out. I look forward to seeing the action plan on stillbirth being rolled out. I particularly look forward to seeing the reduction in rates of stillbirth in Australia coming to fruition so that we no longer have the tragedy of such unnecessary trauma, the unnecessary deaths of babies, and we can reduce that level of trauma in Australian society. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.