2023-07-03
Meetings with atomic survivors and GPs, addressing ME/CFS and ADHD, and enquiring into Australia’s dental care deficiencies
By Senator Jordon Steele-John
Well, here we are: smack bang in the middle of the year! The past couple of months have been such a whirlwind of activity with community events, parliament, senate estimates and involving the community in our inquires and campaigns! :)
Anti-nuclear meetings
In June I met with a group of Australian atomic survivors who travelled to Canberra to meet with MPs, including members of the Parliamentary Friends of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The Australian Atomic Survivors’ Delegation generously shared their experiences as survivors of the British nuclear testing program in WA and SA, and used the opportunity to speak out about recognition, respect and repair.
It was an incredibly humbling experience to speak with such staunch survivors, many of whom are First Nations peoples upon whose country these tests were performed without consent or consultation. The delegation’s fortitude, bravery and advocacy was astounding, and served as a powerful reminder of why we must do everything possible to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
To that end, these survivors echoed the Greens’ ongoing calls for the Prime Minister to sign the TPNW. Joining the treaty is a no-brainer that would go some way toward addressing historic harms while preventing future suffering.
As I said in a speech I delivered in the Senate the same week, the question is not whether these weapons will be used on people again – the fact is that, while they exist, it is guaranteed that they will be. It is thus our duty to ensure we never again put people in the path of such catastrophic harm.
Launch of the Parliamentary Friends of ME/CFS
A busy month for Parliamentary Friends groups! Alongside Maria Vamvakinou MP as my fellow co-chair, in June I was honoured to launch the Parliamentary Friends of ME/CFS. The group aims to connect MPs with patient advocates and stakeholders to improve outcomes for the community, and to ensure people with Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are not left behind.
ME/CFS affects a huge number of people in this country, and for decades it has failed to receive the recognition and understanding within the healthcare system that it needs. Too many people have been misdiagnosed, not received access to specialised clinics and, in some cases, have been subjected to treatment that has actively caused harm.
There is so much the government could do to improve the lives of people with ME/CFS, including investing in research, better resourcing advocacy groups, and supporting healthcare providers to have a better understanding of the condition. I am hopeful this Parliamentary Friends group will help facilitate the important conversations needed to help achieve this.
A roundtable with GPs
In my role as the Greens’ health spokesperson, it’s always so valuable for me to connect with grassroots health practitioners to learn what it’s like on the ground directly from those on the coalface. So in June, I held a roundtable with the WA branch of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
I heard from GPs from all around the state about their work, their experiences, and their role in the community, and received feedback about how the Parliament can meaningfully support the profession to deliver better outcomes for the community. Some of the most critical issues raised included raising the bulk-billing incentive for everyone in the community and workforce solutions to help address GP shortages were also high on the agenda.
ADHD inquiry submissions closed
Back in October last year my office kicked off our ADHD campaign with our record-breaking survey. All that work culminated in the establishment of an inquiry into ADHD, which the Senate passed in March.
It was such a historic moment that we worked so hard alongside the community to achieve that it’s hard to believe that the first phase of the inquiry – public submissions – is already over! Hundreds of people and organisations made a submission during the couple of months the committee was accepting them, with the closing date being June 9.
Now the committee is holding public hearings around the country, inviting a range of individuals and organisations to share further evidence around their experiences with seeking ADHD assessment and/or support services. The first hearing was held online on June 28, and will be followed by another two: one in Perth in July and a third to be confirmed.
This inquiry has been a massive win for people with ADHD, by people with ADHD. I’m so proud to have played my part in bringing it to this point! I’m also really hopeful that the lived experience shared through the submissions and hearings will lead to the robust and meaningful recommendations needed to change the lives of the one million Australians who have ADHD.
Dental Interim Report
Dental care impacts every single person in this country, and yet, bafflingly, it’s not covered by Medicare. In this current cost of living crisis, that means more and more people are being forced to choose between rent and food or accessing oral healthcare.
That’s why my team and I worked to bring forward our dental inquiry, which also closed for submissions in June. And wow – what a response! More than 17,000 people responded to the inquiry’s survey, making it the largest committee survey response in the history of Parliament!
Towards the end of June the committee released an interim report with some stark results. Most tellingly, 98 percent of people agree that more dental care should be free, while 74 percent of the community shared that dental problems have impacted their health and quality of life.
Further, a massive 90 percent of people have delayed going to the dentist because of the cost. And amazingly, Australians have higher out-of-pocket costs for dental care than other comparable countries – even I was surprised to learn that we’re paying 40 percent more out-of-pocket than people in America!
Sadly though unsurprisingly, the interim report also revealed that disabled people are being failed by our dental system. Some shared experiences of being physically held down, and of not even being able to get into the door of their local clinic.
These stats (and so many more!) reveal just how urgent it is for the government to make getting dental care into Medicare a reality for everyone.
Now that submissions have closed, the committee is organising public hearings all around Australia – I’ll keep you updated on times and locations as they’re confirmed.
That's a snap shot of our work in the last couple of months. As always, get in touch anytime!
Header photo: Jordon campaigning in the Perth Community