Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion and I thank the Member for Shortland for raising this serious matter with parliament. Last week, the 9 to 15 March, was Brain Injury Awareness Week. Brain injury is more common than many Australians realise, with over 700,000 Australians living with a brain injury. Three out of four of these individuals are aged under 65. One in two Australians with a brain injury acquired their injury before they turned 25. Brain injuries can result from numerous causes. The leading cause of an acquired brain injury is stroke. Approximately 60,000 strokes occur every year. This number continues to grow, proportionate to our population growth, and particularly our increased aged population. Strokes primarily occur in older Australians, however, around one in five strokes affect people under the age of 55. Other causes include accidents or trauma, brain infection, alcohol and/or drug use, or diseases such as Parkinson's Disease. Over 22,000 Australians were hospitalised as a result of traumatic brain injury in 2004-2005. Over two in every five incidents were caused by a fall. Nearly one in three was due to a motor vehicle accident, and one in six was caused by an assault.

These numbers demonstrate the need to recognise brain injury, and support the 700,000 Australians who live day-to-day with a brain injury. I join with the member for Shortland in acknowledging the work done and services provided by the Bouverie Centre, in conjunction with the Victorian Department of Human Services. The Bouverie Centre, based in Melbourne, focuses on the fundamental role of the family and social networks, in helping people with a brain injury. They achieve this by combining clinical family therapy, academic teaching, qualitative and quantitative research, workforce development, and community education in one integrated service. Such services are essential to supporting not only people with a brain injury, but also those who provide care to them, including families and friends.

Brain injuries can significantly change a person's personality and behaviour, and this can be a very difficult and confronting issue for families to cope with. I recall the words of a friend whose husband many years ago was critically injured in a hit-and-run. He sustained serious injuries, and he was very lucky to survive. To the outside world, he now appears quite normal, but his wife did tell me 'he is not the man I married: I am married to a stranger' and that has had a huge impact on that family. Understandably, for those who are not familiar with dealing with brain injuries, it is difficult to identify what family members are experiencing. The fact that brain injury can result from numerous and random sources means that none of us are immune.

There is an outstanding organisation in the member for Shortland's electorate, Camp Breakaway, with whom I am proud to have had quite a long association. It was here that I was told the story of one of their clients, who was a teenager at the time. As a toddler she was sitting in the toddler seat in the back of the family car, when at truck pulled up alongside and a large rock fell through the roof of the car. It seriously injured the young girl, leaving her with lifelong serious brain trauma, and a lifetime confined to a wheelchair.

At Camp Breakaway, I will never forget meeting the families of loved ones with serious brain trauma, and the stories of how a random accident, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, altered their lives forever. I take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff and volunteers of Camp Breakaway, for the outstanding respite camps that they offer families and carers.

Many of us could not imagine how we would react if found in that situation, and services such as those provided by the Bouverie Centre are vital in supporting those confronted with brain injury. In New South Wales, the Brain Injury Association of New South Wales is the peak advocacy organisation for people affected by brain injury. Their services provide assistance to people with brain injury, family members, friends, professionals, and the broader community. It is worth noting that the Brain Injury Association of New South Wales is supported by both the New South Wales government and the Federal Government, through the Department of Social Services. This includes serving as a representative body for people with brain injury, and driving change in policy, service and attitudes to make a difference in people's lives. This motion calls on the government to provide more services to accommodate people with a brain injury, and develop a national-scale partnership, similar to the partnership seen in Victoria, which helps people with a brain injury and their family members.

We must, as a government ensure that all Australians in need of such services have access to them. Furthermore, it is important that we have a coordinated approach between the states and territories that reduces duplication and ensures the expenditure is utilised as efficiently as possible to aid those in need. Once again, I thank the member for Shortland for moving this motion, and I look forward to all members of parliament working to improve the lives of Australians with brain injury. (Time expired)

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