Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2022 I set up an inquiry into concussions and repeated head trauma in contact sports due to the shocking accounts from people who approached my office concerned by the lack of action from the major sporting codes and the government, despite decades of attempts to bring this into the public light. The Senate inquiry and increased media reporting have raised awareness over the last two years on this important issue, and there has been some movement in the concussion space since the inquiry handed down its report in August last year. Firstly some sporting codes have undergone rule modification to decrease injury rates, as prevention is the most effective way to address the issue. The government also tabled its response to the Senate inquiry report, which is what I want to address here today.

I appreciate the development of an updated concussion and brain health position statement, released in February last year, which partly addressed recommendation 8 of the inquiry report. The position statement provides updated information on concussion, including the Australian concussion guidelines for community and youth sport. It advances a more precautionary approach than previously seen, including guidance for flexible return-to-play protocols with a more cautious approach, particularly for children and those with previous concussions. The position statement is an improvement on the previous versions and brings concussion advice in line with the UK and New Zealand. However, its development failed to fully take into account some of the existing research in this country and could have gone further in its guidance.

The response to some of the other recommendations has unfortunately been less satisfying. Recommendations 3 to 6 of the report spoke to the need for greater investment in research around concussion and repeated head trauma, including CTE. The government responded by reiterating already existing research funding, which scientists called out as insufficient, particularly for CTE. The existing Medical Research Future Fund funding of $50 million for a 10-year period is very little for a complex research area and does not include CTE. CTE is a neurodegenerative disorder which has been linked to repeated head trauma and gets worse over time. It can sadly lead to mood and behaviour changes and progressive disorders of thinking and memory. It can lead to death.

During the inquiry, we heard from affected players and families, some of whom have tragically lost loved ones, and their accounts were heart-wrenching. Failing to acknowledge the significance of CTE and to invest in better research and support for those affected is the government failing in its duty of care. The government's response also fails to address the need for more independent research on the issue. The Australian Research Council is conflicted with its close associations with sports like the AFL and NRL, who have vested interests to not support research into CTE. This was a matter raised in the inquiry but which the committee report failed to properly call out. It is time funding is provided to independent research rather than the same cohort of suspects deeply connected with the sports, such as internationally discredited Paul McCrory.

Recommendation 7 around improving public awareness and education on concussion and repeated head trauma was fully endorsed by the government. It came as a surprise, though, that in response it committed $12.5 million to Dementia Australia in this year's budget to support populations at risk of dementia, including those with suspected CTE. While I value Dementia Australia's work, it has until recently never worked in the CTE space, and others with decades of experience and high credentials in the field, such as the Australian Sports Brain Bank, have repeatedly missed out on funding. As someone who has suffered from concussion and its long-term impacts, I'm glad that the issue—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry, Senator Thorpe, but the time allotted has expired. We'll now go to two-minute statements.