2023-05-03
ADHD and dental enquiries underway, back on Q&A, and a chance to catch up with the community
By Senator Jordon Steele-John
March and April were both massive months – the former packed in three sitting weeks across the month, while the latter was a great opportunity to be out and about across WA.
As I write, we’re on the cusp of the government handing down another federal budget. I’ll be keeping a close eye on a number of areas – particularly the NDIS, which is always demonised around this time of year. As always, I will continue to fight for the right of all disabled people who need access to the scheme to receive access to the scheme – as designed and as deserved.
ADHD inquiry is go!
In my last report, I updated you all on the work my office has been doing on our ADHD campaign. This month, I am so pleased to report back that we had a massive win in March when the Senate passed my motion to establish an inquiry into access to ADHD assessment and support services!
It comes off the back of more than 10,000 responses we received to our ADHD survey last year, which identified significant access barriers to ADHD assessment and support services in Australia – particularly around cost, wait time and stigma.
The serious long-term impacts of ADHD are well-established, yet we have not seen a single substantive conversation about the condition in Parliament over the past five years. That makes this inquiry a truly historic moment. Even better, it’s one we achieved together with the ADHD community itself.
Since the announcement, my team and I have held a number of community forums and workshops to provide guidance on how to write a submission. I’ve also spoken about the developments on a few different podcasts – including on Em Rusciano’s! – which is really exciting.
As part of the campaign we also just launched a new action that targets key health stakeholders to sign on to the community’s demands to fix ADHD care in Australia. You can take part in it here!
It’s such an exciting time to be working in this space, and I am so hopeful that we will finally achieve some meaningful progress for the one million Australians with ADHD. Watch this space!
Dental inquiry
So many Australians aren’t able to go to the dentist because it’s too expensive, and are forced to live with pain and discomfort that can have significant long-term health effects.
What we need is dental care included in Medicare. And while that’s obvious to the rest of us, it’s the decision-makers in Canberra who need to be convinced. They need to hear our experiences with the dental care system loud and clear, so I’m really happy that the parliament agreed to support my proposal to hold an inquiry into access to dental services across Australia.
As chair of this inquiry, I have been in the fortunate position of being able to make the process of sharing your experience with the committee as easy as possible: you can complete a survey! Amazingly, that has meant that the inquiry has received thousands of responses already – a testament both to the importance of accessible processes and the woeful state of dental care and access in this country.
Another Q&A appearance
In March I was invited to appear on the ABC program Q+A. It was great to be back, this time to discuss AUKUS and Australia’s approach to military strategy.
It was an interesting discussion to say the least, particularly with one of my fellow panelists being the former secretary of the US Navy Richard Spencer. If you missed it, you can safely conclude we did not see eye to eye!
We also partnered with a journalist from the Washington Post to get to the bottom of just how much the Australian Government is paying contractors for the AUKUS agreement; it’s a long read. If you’ve time for a cuppa, you can read it here.
I am as unwavering as ever on Australia’s urgent need not only to abandon the $368 billion AUKUS pact, but also our total allegiance and reliance on the United States. Sadly, the two major parties appear committed to AUKUS despite it threatening our sovereignty and safety. Diplomacy must always be the priority.
Community event palooza!
My role in parliament is to represent the community, so it’s really important to me that I make time regularly to connect with folks on the ground to hear directly from them about the issues they care about most.
In April my team and I capitalised on the last of the warm days of the season by hosting a community BBQ at Hyde Park in Perth. We also held a Politics at the Pub event in Leederville while my colleagues Larissa Waters and Janet Rice were in town.
Both events had an excellent turnout of familiar Greens faces among many new ones, which was so fantastic to see. The conversations I have at these events are always so energising and remind me both why I got involved with the Greens, and why I continue to do this work.
Keep an eye out for future catch-ups, including the casual street chats I’ve already been having in Perth and Fremantle over the past few months – I’d love to see you there!
Header photo: With community members at the Perth Community BBQ.