Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important motion on Women's Health Week. It is a good opportunity to speak about the importance of women's health, obviously affecting a large section of the population, and the importance of bringing it to national importance as part of this parliament's work. Women's health is central to the longevity and full quality of life that we need to make sure the citizens of our community have.

Women's Health Week, held annually in the first week of September as a national campaign led by Jean Hailes for women's health, is promoting health awareness, education and empowerment for women, girls and gender-diverse people across Australia. It celebrates the 2025 theme, 'Say yes to you', which encourages women to prioritise their health, to speak up and to access the care that they desperately need—values that align with the government's commitment around equity, dignity and universal health care, which is shared across the political aisle because we all want to see the best health outcomes for Australians. Making sure that we can access health services that Australians need is incredibly important for making sure that our citizens live out the best of their lives, as is making sure that people get support over the full length of their life cycle.

Chronic conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome have a deep impact on people's daily lives and work and their capacity to live a quality of life and personal relationships. We know that in Australia approximately one in seven women are diagnosed with endometriosis by the age of 44 to 49, and around 8.8 per cent are diagnosed by the age of 26 to 31. It affects around five to 13 per cent of reproductive age women, depending on their diagnostic criteria. Diagnosis often takes six to eight years, with sufferers encountering dismissive care and enduring emotional and physical strain. This is not something that is unique to any section of the community.

In the Goldstein electorate, the 52 per cent of female residents have a median age of around 43 years. A Goldstein constituent who wants to remain anonymous contacted the Goldstein office recently to share her specific experience. She lives with both endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome and faces debilitating pain, extensive medical appointments, financial strain from allied health costs and telehealth fees, and the excruciating prospect of considering surgical intervention due to a lack of accessible and affordable care. She wrote to the Goldstein office about the devastating reality of these chronic conditions; the relentless pain and fatigue; and the need to constantly juggle multiple medical appointments, often during business hours, forcing her to choose between her health and her income. Despite the promises of making sure that there would be full access to healthcare services, that isn't always something that's actually being delivered to people in the community and being realised.

She is 28 years old and still very much in youth, the prime of her life, yet she is already being forced to consider surgical removal of an ovary, not solely for medical reasons but because the financial cost of ongoing care is becoming unsustainable for her. This, of course, is not something anybody would wish for any woman, let alone somebody so young, at such a tender age in their lives. We always look forward to the future with hope, and we hope that she does as well because, as difficult as her challenges are—we are not seeking in any way to diminish them—there must always be hope about your healthcare journey and making sure you can live out the best of your life. We wish her all the best on her journey.

This year, the theme of 2025 Women's Health Week is, 'Say yes to you', and that's why it's important to make sure you prioritise your health in this important week. It's not about being selfish; it's actually about doing the right thing by yourself, so you can be there not just for yourself but for your loved ones, for your family, for your friends and for the other people in your care network. It's so important to make sure that you are your best self and able to contribute the most to those in your broader network. The reality is that too many people wait too long to get the support and assistance they need. When they delay appointments, whether because of out-of-pocket costs or because they have barriers around time commitments or capacity to access services, it places a bigger long-term health consequence on them that can have longer-term consequences.

Making sure that dignity is at the centre of all healthcare policy is incredibly important, and women shouldn't be left behind on this important journey where we are making sure that health care serves everybody. Investment is not just about fairness in healthcare; it's about making sure people can live out their full dignity and their full participation in society, in the economy and, of course, in their family. Today is an opportunity to take stock, but also to be part of the solution.

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