Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Paramedics are exceptional Australians. When they choose this life of service they know, unlike most of their university friends, that when they complete their studies they will face trauma, danger and stress, but their desire to serve their fellow Australians in need drives them on to join their paramedic colleagues. It is this same desire that sustains them when they reach the point of exhaustion and as they struggle to withstand the pressures of their work while also balancing the needs of their own families and loved ones. They are the heroes of our community. They quietly work to keep us safe night and day, shift after shift. All governments, both federal and state, must do all that they can to support first responders and their families. Governments put first responders into harm's way; therefore, they are under a moral obligation to ensure that first responders are cared for when they suffer the inevitable effects of their service. I know firsthand, from my volunteer work with St John Ambulance, how paramedics and their families are impacted by their service.

Last week the Senate passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (First Responders) Bill 2023. This bill reverses the burden of proof so that first responders are no longer required to prove that they have developed post-traumatic stress as a result of their service when making a workers compensation claim. The bill only applies to Commonwealth and ACT employees. This is an encouraging start on the long road to properly caring for our first responders in Australia. The Commonwealth has taken the lead. It's now up to the states and territories to follow.

Psychological injuries can manifest themselves in first responders long after an initial exposure to trauma, and this link can be difficult to prove. Throughout a first responder's career, the effects of ongoing exposure to trauma can be cumulative and often go unrecognised, even into retirement. Making a workers compensation claim in relation to post-traumatic stress can be complex, demanding and time-consuming. The claims process can aggravate the pain the first responder and their family are experiencing, and it creates barriers for first responders in accessing treatment in a timely manner.

Importantly, the coalition has supported this bill. I would like to thank the Liberal and National parties federally for their support of this bill, and I would like to think that the Liberal and National parties in each state and territory will follow a like policy position. In South Australia a similar bill is currently before the Legislative Council, having been moved by the honourable Frank Pangallo. There is no reason that the South Australian Labor government and Liberal opposition should oppose the passage of this bill now that this Senate has passed similar legislation, with the support of all major parties.

In 2018 the Senate referred to the Education and Employment References Committee an inquiry into the role of government in addressing the high rates of mental health conditions experienced by first responders. The committee's excellent report was handed down in February 2019. Two recommendations are yet to be fully progressed. The committee recommended a national action plan be developed for first responders' mental health. It also recommended that the federal government establish a stakeholder working group to assess the benefits of a harmonised national approach to presumptive legislation. I call on all Australian governments to work harder to implement these recommendations.

There is no reason that a paramedic in one state should be treated differently in another. Paramedics have higher rates of post-traumatic stress and work related mental health disorders than the general population. It is time for all governments to accept their moral obligation to care for those whom they send into harm's way. I thank all the paramedics and volunteers in my own state of South Australia and acknowledge what they and their families have sacrificed to ensure that we have remained safe.