Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Gallagher. The recent release of Australian Bureau of Statistics provisional mortality data for our nation shows all-cause mortality to the end of August is currently a staggering 18,671, or 17 per cent higher than the historical average. A report that appeared in the Lancet medical journal also shows that Europe is facing an increase in cancer diagnoses, after an estimated one million cases went unfound due to the COVID lockdowns and other draconian measures. Can the minister advise what we are doing here in Australia to make up for the many thousands of likely missed cancer diagnoses over the last two years?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Babet for the question. We are working with the states and territories. I don't want to align myself with the mortality data, because I haven't seen what you were citing from, but the broad—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's fine. I'm not questioning it. I'm saying I haven't seen it. My answer is in relation directly to the question not the preamble. The question was: what are we doing? There is no doubt that our health services over the last two years were significantly affected by the pandemic. Services that would normally be provided through hospitals, through people going to GPs and through people seeking health treatment because they had a concern, significantly changed during the pandemic.

We are working with the states and territories, as you would expect, through the National Health Reform Agreement, regarding transitioning out of the pandemic and the COVID focus. There'll be significant pressure on the hospitals, but also in primary care, as people come forward. There is no doubt there was delayed seeking of health attention or seeking of health assistance and access to services through the pandemic. It will take some time to work through that, but we are working with the states and territories—through the Prime Minister and the first ministers through National Cabinet—about pressures in the health system and transitioning away from COVID-19 and the COVID-19 focus.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Babet, first supplementary?

Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deaths with COVID-19 generally—not solely from COVID-19—have been recorded by the ABS as 7,727 at the end of August. Even if we exclude all deaths with COVID-19, we are still seeing excess deaths of about 10,944. Can the minister explain the cause of this alarming excess mortality or advise what research, if any, is being done to look into it?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I haven't seen the data to which the senator is referring, so I think it is appropriate that I don't immediately accept those statistics. I think there will be, over time, a lot of research and assessment done about our response to COVID-19 and some of the other consequences of the fact that our health system had to respond to a global pandemic, and therefore other services were either wound down or didn't operate, or people chose not to seek assistance during the pandemic.

I have no doubt that there will be plenty of academics and researchers who are interested in assessing that and then making recommendations about what should happen when the next global pandemic hits this country or all countries. I'm sure that will be done. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Babet, second supplementary?

Ralph Babet (Victoria, United Australia Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've seen some alarming data out of South Australia sourced by Senator Alex Antic, to my right, which shows a material increase in cardiac presentations in 15- to 44-year-olds commencing in July 2021, a time when there were very minimal COVID cases. What is the minister doing to investigate the underlying cause of the spike in heart related issues? Does the government still assert that the mRNA injections are safe and effective?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I haven't seen Senator Antic's research either, and I'm not sure of your background in epidemiology and assessing what the health trends are during a global pandemic, but I can be corrected if you have some background in that.

In relation to whether we think the vaccines are safe: yes. The TGA has gone through its processes. As you know, Senator Babet, they also report on adverse events. Myocarditis or pericarditis in younger people was one of the identified risks of those vaccines. Everybody was informed of that and it was seen as a risk. Where it affected people—particularly younger men, as I understand it—those adverse events were recorded. I should also say, the vaccines have saved thousands and thousands of lives, particularly the most vulnerable Australians, and the vaccine program was always about responding to that— (Time expired)