Carina Garland
Chisholm · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Having seen them again last week, I can say the students of St Roch's are absolutely leaders. They debated whether video games should be an official sport, if plastic packaging on all food items should be banned, whether museums should return ancient artefacts to countries of origin and whether smartwatches should be banned in the classro…”
“We're also clarifying the CFMEU administrator's biannual financial reporting requirements, which currently require a report effectively immediately at the conclusion of a given financial year. In this bill, we're also committed to ensuring truckies get a fair go.”
“This government is giving them the tools to do just that, and I'm really proud to be able to represent so many bright young people in this place. Just last week, I had the great pleasure of visiting St Roch's Catholic Primary School in Glen Iris as a guest adjudicator for their year 6 civics and citizenship debating competition.”
“The intention here is to ensure that more truck drivers can access our quick and easy process to challenge an unfair contract in the Fair Work Commission.”
“It's important to highlight that our reforms are essential in ensuring that our workplace relations framework continues to be fit for purpose, continues to deliver fairer wages and secure jobs not just in my electorate of Chisholm but right across Australia.”
“We know that secure jobs drive participation in communities. I spoke about this in my very first speech—that, when people have certainty over hours and wages, they can make commitments to their local communities. They can put down roots. They can know that on their weekends they'll have time to give to their local sporting clubs.”
The complete record
Every one of 412 lines we hold for Carina Garland, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 9.
“Australia is working very closely with the Fijian government and the broader Pacific to develop tailored responsive interventions that can help prevent wider regional spread. We've heard there's real progress. In South-East Asia, skilled birth attendance is up, contraceptive use has more than doubled since 2010 and maternal mortality has dropped. Australia is sharing its expertise—like our world first cervical cancer elimination program, an invention of the Speaker's home state of Queensland—to help others replicate success. We've also been encouraged in the group to engage more deeply with parliamentarian champions and women MPs in the Pacific and South-East Asian region. Their leadership and regional insight are essential to advancing the cause of sexual and reproductive health rights.”
“He spoke about the progress that has been made and highlighted the challenges we still face. We heard how Australia's development approach is grounded in four key priorities: First Nations partnerships, gender equality, disability inclusion and climate action. These aren't add-ons; they are embedded in every investment we make. The Pacific faces some tough sexual and reproductive health rights challenges, shaped by both traditional health burdens and conservative social norms, yet the region continues to innovate, such as adapting comprehensive sexuality education into culturally grounded family life education. We heard that Fiji's HIV epidemic has surged with over 1,600 cases last year alone.”
“These groups play a vital role in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and sustainable development. Their origins trace back to the landmark International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, which was a turning point that shifted global development from demographic targets to a people centred approach, putting women's health, rights and equality at the heart of progress. In a world where these rights are increasingly under pressure, our work matters more than ever—what a year to take on this role. This year, we celebrated our 30th anniversary, a milestone that reminds us how far we've come and how much more there is to do. We've been very busy. We held our first meeting in July, where we heard from Dr Lucas de Toca, former ambassador for global health.”
“This parliamentary term, I've taken on the role of government co-chair of the Australian Parliamentary Friends of Population and Development, a responsibility I've embraced with pride and purpose. For me, this is more than a friendship group; it's a platform for parliamentarians to come together across party lines and tackle issues that impact people's lives in Australia and across our region. What some members might not know is that parliamentary groups on population and development exist in many countries worldwide. The United Nations Population Fund has estimated that almost 100 countries have, at some point, had a national group or committee dedicated to population related issues, underscoring the global importance of this work.”
“We will be getting a Medicare mental health clinic in Glen Iris to join the existing mental health infrastructure funded by our government, such as the headspace, which is just a couple of doors down from my office in Mount Waverley. There are many other projects we're delivering too. When I'm here and when I'm in my community, I'm squarely focused on the delivery of the commitments I've made to my community. The coalition, those opposite, didn't seem to learn anything in the last six months. They're more divided and divisive than ever, but that's okay, because what I do every day is listen to my community and focus on delivering the commitments that I was really proud to campaign on earlier this year.”
“Since we've made medicines cheaper, more than $425 million has been saved in Victoria on 69 million cheaper scripts. This is saving money for our communities and protecting their health. We know that on Saturday many GP practices across the nation chose to become fully bulk-billing practices thanks to our record investment in Medicare. This is a really big deal and it is really important for our nation. I've had the Minister for Health and Ageing visit practices with me in my community, and I know what a difference this is going to make. We have our urgent care clinic in Mount Waverley, which I know is very well utilised, and we've got another to come in the Stonnington council area too.”
“This takes pressure off hospitals and it helps more people see a doctor for free. We've delivered $500 million for women's health. We're investing in 31 new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres, expanding headspace centres and training more mental health professionals. We're making it easier for Australians to buy a home, with five per cent deposits for all first home buyers, and we're building more homes right across Australia. Our plan is all about helping Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn, with secure jobs and responsible economic management that supports wage growth while cutting income taxes. Our government is focused on building Australia's future, easing cost-of-living pressures and building that prosperous future for all. In my own electorate, I know how much our policies are benefiting the community.”
“We're making medicines cheaper, boosting the minimum wage, protecting penalty rates and expanding paid parental leave while adding superannuation to it, which is really critical for addressing the inequality that many women experience in their retirements. Just last week we introduced legislation to deliver superannuation payments on payday. This is going to make a really big difference too. It is a significant reform that will see young people, casual workers and women workers particularly advantaged. We're strengthening Medicare. We're making sure that every Australian can access quality, affordable health care when and where they need it, with the biggest investment in bulk-billing in Australian history and 50 new urgent care clinics to add to the 87 we've already opened around the nation.”
“We've been hard at work, building on the strong foundations laid during our first term to create a better, fairer and more prosperous Australia for everyone. Over the first six months of this term, we've remained focused on those commitments we have made. I promised that the first law we would pass in the new parliament would be to cut student debt by 20 per cent, and that's exactly what we did, with over three million Australians saving an average of $5½ thousand. In my own electorate of Chisholm, 26,053 people benefited from this change, and that is one of the largest numbers of recipients among Victorian electorates. That shows just how important that policy is, and I'm really proud I was able to deliver for my community. We're delivering real help with cost of living.”
“I would like to thank my friend the member for Banks for bringing this motion to the House. Of course, today marks six months since the re-election of the Albanese Labor government. This is a privilege that we do not take for granted, and we know how much work there is to do to deliver on the policies that the Australian people voted for on 3 May. It's really important that our job as a government remains squarely focused on the people in our communities—on Australians and their issues. We're not interested in manufacturing culture wars or talking endlessly about our internal tensions; we as a team are just focused on delivering for all Australians, supporting aspirations and providing opportunities for all.”
“As you can see, it's been a very busy time in Chisholm—it always is—and it's a great privilege to be able to recognise, here in this place, the achievements of so many.”
“Children's Week is a national celebration that recognises the talent, skills, achievements and rights of children, and highlights the importance of play, wellbeing and protection. The Yarrinup parenting program is a 12- to 18-month supported accommodation program for young parents who are experiencing or may be at risk of homelessness. Yarrinup has been designed with a therapeutic focus on the importance of building strong attachment between parent and child. It provides a range of specialist services and case management to each family to further develop independent living skills and move out into independent housing at the end of their tenancy. It is quite a remarkable model. To Client Services Coordinator Carly Salter, thank you for all of your terrific work. I look forward to continuing to work together with you in our community.”
“I thank all the volunteers from the Burwood Heights Uniting Church congregation, who allow the projects that East Burwood Care undertake to go ahead, and the organisers who have given life back to the facility's over 50 years of service with the relaunch. In only a few months of being open, the volunteers have made an impact that has given faith and confidence to those who are struggling. Whether it be through offering food to those who might otherwise go without or being an ear to those who simply need to talk, you are changing people's lives. For that, you should all be very proud. I'm very proud of you. Thank you again. On Tuesday 21 October, I attended the Yarrinup parenting program barbecue celebration in Chadstone as part of Children's Week.”
“The group, which meets in Malvern East, is strong, representing all sections of scouting from Joeys, who start at age 6, all the way through to the Rovers, who go up to age 26. They have around 100 members in the group, including 17 leaders and around 20 adult supporters. They are going from strength to strength. To group leader, Derek Youdale: thanks again for allowing me to share this evening with the group and for all your ongoing work. And thanks to everyone who gives their time to make Malvern Scouts such a strong group. On Saturday 18 October, I was fortunate to attend the launch of East Burwood Care.”
“On Friday 10 October, I had the privilege of attending the Whitehorse Scouting District Annual Report and Awards Presentation night. With 14 groups and more than 1,000 members, including 1st Bennettswood group in my electorate of Chisholm, the Whitehorse District has been very active over the past 12 months. I'd like to put on the record my thanks and congratulations to Whitehorse District commissioner, Liesl Coulthard. Thank you to all involved in scouts and to all those who volunteer, parents and community members, for the incredible contributions made. It's been a busy time for scouts. On Sunday 12 October, I had the privilege of attending the 13th Malvern Scout Group's annual review and party.”
“The recipients were Leanne Thomas, Jennifer Cameron, the late Ian Scholefield, Christopher Mar, Stuart Redman, Victor Huang, Gino Calandra, Keith Irwin, Barbara Donelson, Norma Shultz, Cao Dagong, Graham Bond, Enio Orlandi, Dr Satha K Sathananthan, Albert Toet, Matthew Hutchinson, Nancy Yang, Margaret Walsh, Elspeth Martin, Kanwal Verma, Subhash Chandra, Luci Haberfield, Clive Allan, Jag Bal, Stuart Amis, Gwen and Ted White, Robert Renshaw, Saleha Singh, Jenny Davies, David and Sandra Brigs, Kath Fisher, Elizabeth Davey, Margaret Panetta, Sam Daniel, Ashley Newell, Justin Wilson, Adelina Vanderzee, Bihong Wang, Trevor Huf, Maureen Balsillie, Janice Yu, Ann Findlay, Michelle Lawson and Scott Munnings. Thank you once again for everything you do for our community.”
“On Friday 24 October, I was delighted to host my fourth Caroline Chisholm Volunteer Awards ceremony. My electorate is named for Caroline Chisholm, arguably Australia's most famous volunteer. This award ceremony was started in 2001 by my predecessor in Chisholm, Anna Burke. It recognises the difference volunteers make in our community through their service. In 2025, we received 46 nominations from the community, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all recipients here in the parliament. Thank you for all that you do.”
“We still absolutely have work to do, but that is certainly better than the 14.1 per cent that we inherited from those opposite—standing in the way of progress as always. Women have been undervalued in our workplaces for far too long, and that's why we've made it easier for workplaces in historically lower paid, female dominated industries to bargain collectively, delivering a pay increase of 15 per cent for early childhood educators. Our government knows there is more work to be done to make sure we have fair workplaces for everyone, and Australians have always led the way on progressive workplace reform and will continue to do so under our Labor government.”
“Unlike those opposite, who went into the election with the bizarre plans to make life harder for working families, we believe in making work as flexible as possible rather than turning back the clock. The clock moves forward too on gender equality under our government. We have put gender equality at the heart of the workplace relations system, ensuring that the Fair Work Commission must consider pay equity in its decision-making. Under our government, women are earning more and keeping more of what they earn. Australian women working full time are, on average, around $250 better off weekly than they were when we first came into office in May 2022. It's because of our reforms that we have been able to narrow the gender pay gap. It's now at a record low of 11.5 per cent.”
“Our assurance that no Australian be left behind is also why we are closing loopholes in the modern award safety net, protecting the 2.6 million Australians who rely on them. Current laws allow employers to roll up penalty and overtime rates into a single rate of pay, leaving employees without the compensation they're owed, and Labor is changing that. It's also well known that the face of workplace culture is changing. Fewer workers are sitting in the office for five days a week; instead, they are opting to work from home. I think the Australian people have made very clear that they deeply value the ability to work from home and have that flexibility for their families and communities. Of course, this extends to the right to disconnect, and Labor is legislating provisions that promote sensible discussions about work-life balance.”
“Unemployment is low, with more than 14.6 million people in work, which is a record high. But it's not enough to simply put people to work; as the government, we have a duty to ensure that Australians feel confident about their future. That's why our government has made getting more workers under an enterprise agreement that works for them, not against them, a priority. Enterprise agreements, when they provide a level playing field for both parties, reduce disputes, offer fairer compensation and increase productivity. Constructive dialogue between employers and workers keeps our workplaces healthy, and it is clear that only Labor will facilitate this dialogue. It's why more Australians are covered by enterprise agreements than ever before, and the reason why industrial disputes are at a historic low.”
“Workers deserve secure employment that is founded upon the values of enterprise, opportunity and fairness, and the Albanese Labor government is delivering just that. In 2022 we made a commitment to Australians that we would repair the horrible damage of the previous coalition governments who, in nine years, achieved nothing but wage stagnation and growing gender pay inequality. Three years after we were elected, we've delivered upon our commitments, and we are continuing to make structural reforms that will serve working families for decades to come. I want to acknowledge the many workers and their families and communities who have really led a lot of this work, often through their trade unions. Our agenda is built upon a commitment to getting wages moving again and to improving employment outcomes.”
“Australia has always led the way on some pretty important workplace reforms that empower workers and make life fairer for our communities. Before coming to this place, I had the honour of working in the oldest continuously operating trades and labour council in the world. This is where the eight-hour day was first won, and it is where campaigns for equal pay have been led from. As Australians, we still have a very important role to play in pushing workplace relations into the future to have more empowered workplaces and more-equal pay. In an increasingly, volatile global economic environment, it's really important that we maintain and build upon the high standards that workers have fought for throughout Australian history.”
“The values of compassion, goodwill and hope, which find prominence in Diwali celebrations, are values which all of us should be guided by, and this is an important moment of reflection for all of us. Diwali is an incredibly important celebration for the Indian community—including, of course, the Indian community in Chisholm. Each year, the Diwali celebrations exemplify the vibrance of the multicultural fabric which makes up Australia, woven in part by the contributions of the wonderful Indian community. I look forward to celebrating Diwali together with the community of Chisholm, and I wish everyone celebrating Diwali a very happy Diwali.”
“I thank them very much and congratulate them very much for organising such a terrific event and being such important contributors in our community. The Mid-Autumn Festival is symbolic of the full moon, mutual respect, the togetherness of families and the collective efforts of the harvest, and its celebration is a testament to the strength of Chisholm's Chinese Australian community. The Chinese community has undeniably enriched our society, and multiculturalism makes us all better off as people and should always be celebrated. A celebration just around the corner is Diwali, and I have no doubt that Chisholm will light up in celebration over the five-day festival. Diwali is a time for lighting lamps, gift-giving, feasting and celebrating the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.”
“It's always wonderful to have the opportunity to provide the House with an update on some of the celebrations and events happening in my community of Chisholm in the wonderful multicultural suburbs of Melbourne. On Monday, the Mid-Autumn Festival began—a festival with a long tradition of unity, harmony and gratitude. It is a time for coming together to celebrate and enjoy each other's company. This festival, also known as the Moon Festival, celebrates the harvest, and I note the beautiful harvest moon we were all able to enjoy this week. I recently had the chance to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival opening ceremony at the Queen Victoria Markets, organised by the terrific Asian Business Association of Whitehorse.”
“I'm proud that we're delivering more youth specialist care centres and training more mental health professionals. It was terrific to have the health minister in Chisholm last week to visit a clinic which will be 100 per cent bulk-billing from 1 November this year—the Burwood Healthcare general practice—and to visit our urgent care clinic in Mount Waverley. I spoke with, literally, thousands of locals about the Mount Waverley Urgent Care Clinic, and I can confirm to the House that it has been warmly received by the community. We're making sure that we invest in health to support everyone in our community so no-one is left behind.”
“October is mental health month, and I want to take this opportunity to highlight our important investment in mental health support for our communities. Our government is investing $1 billion to deliver more mental health services right across the country, including free mental health services that are backed by Medicare. I'm pleased to say that Labor will be opening a new free Medicare mental health centre in Glen Iris in my own electorate of Chisholm. This service will play an important role in supporting other local services, including our headspace on Blackburn Road in Mount Waverley, which the Minister for Health and Ageing has previously visited. Addressing mental health conditions in this country, particularly for young people with complex needs, is one of my biggest priorities.”
“If the student withdraws after that date, they incur a debt to the Commonwealth equal to the full cost of their Commonwealth supported place up to the date of the withdrawal. This will be in addition to their HECS-HELP liability. Our government is squarely focused on strengthening Medicare and on ensuring that we have a strong health workforce. That means that Australians, no matter where they live, are able to access high-quality medical care when they need it. This is part of our ongoing commitment to strengthen Medicare, to fight for Medicare and to ensure that bulk-billing is accessible and equitable. I'm really pleased to support this bill in the House today.”
“Currently, former Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Scheme bonded participants who fail to complete their return-of-service obligation within the allowed 18-year period or who have withdrawn earlier face repayment of their scholarship and a six-year Medicare ban. While the financial penalty is appropriate, subjecting these doctors to a Medicare ban will jeopardise continued service provision and access to care for Australians living in regional, rural and remote communities and in other areas of workforce shortage. Given those broader workforce shortages, a six-year Medicare ban is not in the interests of either the doctor or the Australian community. Students can currently withdraw from the program without consequence up to the HECS census date in their second year of study.”
“It will balance the personal circumstances of the bonded participant and the broader interest of the community and allow all work completed by a bonded participant in good faith, consistent with program objectives, to be counted towards their return-of-service obligation. This bill allows the Minister for Health and Ageing to make additional rules to ensure that past work completed by bonded participants delivering health services in regional, rural and remote locations in Australia, for instance, can count it to their return-of-service obligation where this is consistent with program objectives.”
“The government has committed $15.2 million in 2025-26 to fund the implementation of reforms outlined in the assignment-of-benefits act and subordinate regulations. This includes updates to Services Australia's software systems and education and communications activities to ensure stakeholders are aware of and prepared for new digital arrangements. The passage of this bill will ensure that the Albanese Labor government's 2025 election commitment of $7.9 billion in bulk-billing incentive payments to encourage increased bulk-billing rates will not be adversely impacted by non-compliant business software. Schedule 4 of this bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to ensure the consequences for Bonded Medical Program participants who withdraw from the program or fail to complete their return-of-service obligation are fair.”
“This bill will delay the commencement of the assignment-of-benefits act to 1 July 2026, which will support industry and consumers to comply with the new assignment-of-benefits requirements, and it will allow time for new processes to be developed and for IT systems to be updated. In the meantime, bulk-billing can continue under the current processes, including additional incentives for bulk-billed services which will start from 1 November this year in line with the government's election commitment. Bulk-billing is vital for equitable access to health care. It helps with cost-of-living pressures and ensures every Australian receives the best health care they deserve. Our government is passionate about bulk-billing.”
“Last year, as one of many measures our government has taken to strengthen Medicare, the parliament passed the Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Assignment of Medicare Benefits) Act 2024 with its changes to assignment benefits commencing 18 months from the day the act received royal assent. It streamlined the assignment process for patients, for medical providers, for private health insurers and for approved billing agents and also enabled digital assignment options. The bill before us now will build on those changes and address limitations of the assignment-of-benefits act.”
“Participating insurers will continue to be subject to regular post-payment compliance activities to ensure integrity of the payment process, and the amendments will support the existing registration and claims processes in such a way that there will be minimal impact on consumers and private health insurers. Of course, strengthening bulk-billing is a priority of the Albanese Labor government, and schedule 3 of the bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to modernise assignments of the Medicare benefits process. Assignment of benefit is a longstanding requirement of the Health Insurance Act, and it underpins payments of Medicare benefits where the patient assigns their right to benefit to a medical provider, private health insurer or approved billing agent.”
“Schedule 2 of the bill will amend the Private Health Insurance Act to align the registration process in division 23 with the requirements of the system operated by Services Australia; provide for self-assessment by participating insurers of the amount of rebate required to be reimbursed in division 279; require an insurer to provide information or documents to support their claim; ensure overpayments can be recovered, despite any unintended system or process defects, through division 282; and allow for computer assisted decision-making and the approval of forms and systems by the Chief Executive Medicare under division 333.”
“We know that individuals who are eligible for the private health insurance rebate can claim the rebate as a premium reduction through their private health insurer or as a tax offset. Under the scheme, the private health insurer claims a reimbursement through a system administered by Services Australia and reduces the premium payable by the policyholder by the amount of the rebate. Some elements of the registration and claims processing system for the premiums reduction scheme have been administered inconsistently with the requirements of the Private Health Insurance Act.”
“Internationally qualified health practitioners currently supplement the domestic workforce and aid in addressing workforce shortages, making for a more sustainable health workforce overall. Schedule 2 of this bill will amend the Private Health Insurance Act to support the process for claiming the private health insurance rebate under the premiums reduction scheme. This will ensure that registrations for the private health insurance rebate scheme and claims under the scheme are administered consistently under the act. This will also ensure that persons are validly registered as participants and that payments of rebates to insurers are lawful. The private health insurance rebate scheme is an initiative to help Australians cover the cost of premiums, supporting access to private healthcare services for participants.”
“Some Medicare provider numbers have already been allocated through the use of a computer program without any clear legislative support, and this bill will tidy up that process and validate previous computer issued Medicare provider numbers. Currently an overseas health professional faces a wait time of up to three months for a Medicare practitioner number, delaying them from commencing work in the Australian health system and treating patients under Medicare. We all know how important it is that everyone has access to health professionals when they need them. Reducing the time it takes for Medicare numbers to be issued will absolutely support the growth of our medical workforce, which is a clear priority for the Albanese Labor government.”
“Schedule 1 of the bill will streamline the allocation of Medicare provider numbers under the Health Insurance Act, allowing practitioners to treat patients sooner. We know that the sooner people are able to access medical services, generally the better the health outcomes can be. Amendments under schedule 1 will allow the Chief Executive Medicare to approve the use of a computer program to make appropriate non-discretionary decisions to allocate Medicare provider numbers in line with the review of Australia's regulatory settings for overseas health professionals. Decisions to refuse a provider number will continue to be checked and authorised by the Chief Executive Medicare or their delegate.”
“As we've heard from the previous speaker, securing and supporting Medicare's future is absolutely so important to the Albanese Labor government. We've delivered urgent care clinics right across the country, including one in Mount Waverley, in my own electorate. I know that in the City of Stonnington area, which is in my electorate too, there is currently a tender out for another urgent care clinic, which is very welcomed by the community. The Health Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 1) Bill 2025 makes amendments to legislation in the health portfolio to make sure we strengthen Medicare. Of course, this is one of my favourite topics of conversation in this place, as indeed it is for everyone sitting on this side of the House.”
“They're taking pressure off hospitals, which means hospitals can spend more time on the life-threatening emergencies they are built for. We committed at the last election to 50 new Medicare urgent care clinics, with more clinics in every state and territory. Once all of the clinics are open, four in five Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a Medicare urgent care clinic. In Victoria we know there have been more than 393 presentations. This is a really important investment for our communities. We have made medicines cheaper overall. We are making sure that PBS medicines are going to be no more than $25, which is what they were more than 20 years ago. We're committed to health, we're committed to cost-of-living relief and we are particularly committed to making sure that we listen to women.”
“We expect this investment of expanding the bulk-billing incentive to boost the number of fully bulk-billed practices to around 4,800 nationally, which is triple the current number of practices. We're building more urgent care clinics. I am very proud to have advocated successfully for an urgent care clinic in Mount Waverley, and we're going to get an additional urgent care clinic in the Stonnington council area too. I have heard from so many people in my community how valuable the urgent care clinics have been. They provide bulk-billed care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions seven days a week for extended hours, with no appointment needed. We've now opened 90 Medicare urgent care clinics across the country, which has meant more than 1.8 million Australians have been able to receive treatment in those facilities.”
“Of course, all healthcare interventions that our government has made will benefit women, beyond our specific package, such as our commitment to strengthen Medicare and to make medicines cheaper. We're making sure there are more doctors, more urgent care clinics and even cheaper medicines for all Australians. We're making the largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago. We're investing $8.5 billion to a deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year. We're delivering hundreds of nursing scholarships and thousands more doctors in the largest GP training program ever. We're investing in a way that will mean nine out of 10 GP visits will be bulk-billed by 2030.”
“It does not even involve cysts on ovaries, yet the very poor understanding of this condition in the health system has meant that women have not been diagnosed properly—in fact, the condition has been named incorrectly—and that their health systems and their endocrinology have not been understood well enough. I'm really pleased that there are researchers in my part of the world, in Melbourne, who have been working hard on not just the local or national stage but the international stage to help address this and find not just a more appropriate name for the condition but also a greater understanding and treatment for the condition. This will mean that people don't have to have the delayed diagnoses that we've seen over time.”
“For some conditions, the average period of medical consultation before a diagnosis has been a decade. That's a very long time to be struggling and suffering with a health condition. It is really hard. I'm really proud to be part of a government, though, that is working to improve women's health outcomes by listening to women and by addressing systemic bias in the health system. Assistant Minister Kearney outlined that very well in her contribution. We know that right across the country delayed diagnoses for conditions from endometriosis to heart disease—which does sometimes present differently in women—have taken place. Women have had their pain dismissed, and they really do struggle to get support for issues like menopause and miscarriage. A very common issue that women experience is polycystic ovary syndrome.”
“Over 20,000 women have undergone a menopause health assessment, covered by Medicare, since they became available on 1 July. We can see here that women's health is actually quite expensive, and so we're making it easier and cheaper for women to get access to the health care that they need. We're going to continue to strengthen Medicare for women. From 1 July this year, further MBS changes will take effect, giving women access to affordable IUDs and birth-control implants. From the forums and the surveys that I conducted in my electorate, there were so many heartbreaking stories of women not getting the help that they needed, not being listened to, and having to go back and forth to doctors for years and years without establishing a diagnosis.”
“I thank everyone—Assistant Minister Kearney in the previous parliament, Assistant Minister White in this parliament and Minister Mark Butler—for their work in delivering this package. Since announcing our women's health package earlier this year, more than 365,000 women have accessed more than 715,000 cheaper scripts for new oral contraceptives, menopausal hormone therapies and endometriosis treatments listed on the PBS. Before the listings of Yaz, Yasmin and Slinda on the PBS, women were paying $380 per year for their contraception. Now they're paying less than half—$126.40 or just $30.80 a year with a concession card. Before the listings of Estrogel and Prometrium on the PBS, women might have paid up to $670 a year. They are now only paying $31.60 per script or $7.70 if they are a concession card holder.”
“It was an incredibly common condition that affects around two in three women between the ages of 30 and 50. I hope that, through our investment and through the advocacy of so many in our communities and in the research community, more is done to educate doctors on women's health, in particular, and on the importance of listening to women. It shouldn't be the case that people are subjected to unnecessary surgery, which has its own risks, in this day and age because there is perhaps a gap in knowledge in relation to women's health. But I'm really pleased to be talking about a much happier outcome for women's health today, which is that hundreds of thousands of women are now able to access cheaper medicines and better health care due to our landmark women's health package.”
“I'm glad that, after hundreds of years—a period that would have extended to well before the Victorian era—women are now starting to be listened to and taken seriously by the scientific and medical community and, of course, by governments. Like so many women in this place and in our communities, I have my own experiences of this. A number of years ago, I presented multiple times to an emergency department in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I was given many blood tests. It was really clear that something was wrong. All that could be suggested—after I'd been turned away many times but the medical professionals also realised that something needed to be done—was that my appendix should be removed. My appendix was perfectly healthy. I did not have appendicitis. But they eventually found out what it was, which was great of them.”