Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) commemorates the ninth anniversary of the 12 October 2002 Bali bombings in which 202 people including 88 Australians died and 240 sustained injuries;

(2) notes that as a result of the attacks, survivor Julian Burton OAM was inspired to found Australia's first burn injury organisation, the Julian Burton Burns Trust;

(3) commends the work of the Julian Burton Burns Trust in implementing burn injury prevention programs, care and support services for burns patients and their families, and advancing world class research into burns treatment;

(4) recognises that:

(a) 220,000 Australians will suffer a burn injury every year;

(b) Indigenous people living in remote areas are up to 25 times more l ikely to suffer a serious burns injury than those living in metropolitan areas;

(c) burn injuries cost the Australian Government $1.5 billion annually in health care costs; and

(d) the vast majority of burn injuries are preventable; and

(5) supports the establishment of a national burn injury prevention plan to reduce the incidence of burns in Australia and improve research, treatment and outcomes for burns patients.

Just over nine years ago, Australians awoke on a Sunday morning to scenes of carnage from across the Timor Sea. Images of burnt bodies, twisted metal and injured tourists and locals covered in blood saturated our front pages, TV screens and news websites. It was an unimaginable nightmare of terror—terror, fire and pain in Australia's favourite overseas holiday destination, Bali. The 2002 Bali bombings were the worst terrorist attacks around the globe since September 11: 202 people, 88 of them Australians, died that day. More than 240 people were injured, many of whom will carry with them for the rest of their lives their disabilities and scars.

Royal Darwin Hospital was the first port of call for more than 60 of the most serious casualties, many suffering horrific burns and blast injuries. In 36 hours, it dealt with more casualties than any single hospital dealt with after either 9-11 or the Oklahoma bombing in the United States. Within 36 hours of their arrival in Darwin, all but a few of the victims had been transported to southern hospitals for specialist care.

One of those Australians injured that night in the bombings was a South Australian football player, Julian Burton. Julian was on an end-of-season trip in Bali with the South Australian National Football Club that he played for, the team of Sturt, when the first bomber blew himself up wearing a backpack in the crowded Paddy's Pub. Twenty seconds later, as bloodied and dazed patrons stumbled outside onto the streets, the bombers detonated over 1,000 kilograms of explosives from inside a white van parked opposite the Sari Club. That bomb was so powerful that it left a one-metre crater in the road and was extra hot, thanks to the combination of powerful chemicals it contained. On 14 October, the United Nations Security Council passed resolution 1438, condemning the attack as a threat to international peace and security.

Just last week the Prime Minister visited the memorial and laid a wreath in memory of those who died. I know many other members of this parliament who have done the same thing, as I did last year when I was in Bali. Like the Prime Minister, we all feel deeply the sorrow and sadness of losing young lives in a foreign land. As I said, we all feel deeply for the Indonesian people, many of whom stood by us and mourned with us in the aftermath of this terrible attack.

Julian suffered life-threatening burns in the attacks and was transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where the care he received inspired him to do more to help other burns victims. Just months after he sustained his injuries, Julian made a conscious decision to turn adversity into opportunity, and in March 2003 he founded the Julian Burton Burns Trust. He did this with the help of Adelaide burns surgeon Associate Professor Dr John Greenwood and the head nurse of the burns unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the immediate past president of the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association, Ms Sheila Kavanagh.

Julian's vision was to create Australia's leading social enterprise, committed to the prevention, care and research of burn injuries. Its main focus is on implementing school, Aboriginal and community burns prevention programs, establishing and delivering care and support services for burns patients and their families, and advancing world-class research into burns treatment. Since its inception, the trust has achieved an incredible amount, delivering its pioneering Burn Safe schools program to over 30,000 schoolchildren and their families in metropolitan, regional and remote areas in South Australia. They have funded a vast number of projects and upgrades to burns units across the country, including laptop computers and cordless phones in the Royal Adelaide Hospital burns unit and new specialist beds for the Women's and Children's Hospital. They have purchased vehicles for families who have been the victims of burns injuries so that parents and children can travel together, especially to hospitals where family members undergo treatment. And they have transported thousands of burns patients and their families in South Australia and Victoria through the patient vehicle network.

The trust has also established a community grants program to assist the advancement of care and prevention activities and equipment associated with burns injury across Australia. To date this program has distributed over $250,000 worth of specialist burns equipment and other goods to burns units across Australia. The trust has also launched a campaign to reduce workplace burns injury, targeting the hospitality industry, and has filmed community service announcements for television.

In March this year, Beach Energy and the Julian Burton Burns Trust launched their Aboriginal Burns Program partnership. Through the partnership, the burns trust will expand its reach into remote Aboriginal communities and, through education, increase traditional owner awareness of fire and burn related hazards and first aid, fire risk management, prevention and preparedness. So far, eight Aboriginal communities in South Australia have benefited from the program. This is truly a proud achievement because we know that Indigenous people living in remote areas are up to 25 times more likely to suffer a serious burn injury than those living in metropolitan areas. These are just some of the achievements of the trust to date. There is no doubt that Julian Burton is a tireless advocate for burns injury and prevention in South Australia.

But we know that a concerted effort from the Australian government would also help drive burns injury rates down. That is why I was delighted to take the positive first step of chairing an inquiry into burns injury in Australia through the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing in early 2010. We tabled our report in mid-2010, and this motion goes to one of the key recommendations for the establishment of a national burns injury prevention plan.

The reason that prevention is so important is that burns injury is one of the most common injuries suffered by Australians every year. Sadly, it is also one of the top three causes of accidental death in children under five. In fact, more than 220,000 people suffer a burn injury every year, costing the Australian government and the health system $1.5 billion every year. While there are treatments for people with major burns, there can be lifelong and significant disfigurement and scarring.

The implications of a severe burn injury can also have a major impact beyond the individual to their friends and family. But we know that with the right education, the vast majority of these burns are preventable. One of the most interesting things we learned during the inquiry was how simple it can be to prevent common burns. For instance, there a far too many young people and older people who scald themselves with hot water taps. That is just because the state and territory building codes do not agree on a maximum temperature for hot water systems. So you can see how simple it would be to reduce burns with greater collaboration, coordination and cooperation across the country.

We must remember that as well as the social costs of burns injuries on families and victims, there is a substantial incentive for the government to make prevention a focus. A child suffering a life-threatening burn injury will costs up to $1 million in healthcare, whilst an adult suffering a life-threatening burn injury will cost $750,000. Severe burns can require many months in hospital, ongoing weekly treatment for dressings and further recovery time at home.

One possible model for a national burns injury prevention plan is based on a World Health Organisation model. Under this model, a wide range of activities are incorporated in one comprehensive plan, including advocacy, policy, data and measurement, research, prevention, treatment services and capacity building. Whilst the Department of Health and Ageing do have a comprehensive plan for responding to events which may result in mass trauma and multiple burns survivors, this does not encompass to the required degree the specific matter of burns prevention.

So I am delighted to have had the opportunity today for the government to continue its groundbreaking health reforms, and to include amongst them a national burns injury prevention plan. I thank the House for the opportunity to speak on this very important matter, and I thank my opposition colleagues for their support for this important cause. (Time expired)

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to second the motion and I commend the member for Hindmarsh on his initiative in bringing forward this motion. It is an opportunity for me to speak just after the ninth anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings. The 2002 Bali bombings were a tragedy which scarred this nation and they are something that Australians will never forget. On 12 October 2002, three bombs were detonated, two of which were in or near the popular nightclubs Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club in Kuta. Two hundred and two innocent people were killed, 88 of whom were Australians, and a further 240 sustained injuries.

There were a number of Australians who made significant contributions in the wake of those Bali bombings, including Dr Fiona Wood, a plastic surgeon and director of the Royal Perth Hospital burns unit and the inventor of spray-on skin for burns victims. In 2002, the largest proportion of Bali victims were transferred to the Royal Perth Hospital. Dr Wood led a team working to save 28 patients suffering from between two and 92 per cent body burns, deadly infections and delayed shock. She was recognised for her care by being named Australian of the Year.

From South Australia, Dr Bill Griggs AM ASM was the director of trauma services at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He was present at both the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, helping to coordinate the evacuation of those injured in the attacks through Darwin to the major trauma and burns units all around Australia. There was Dr Peter Sharley, the current AMA President in South Australia and deputy director of the Royal Adelaide Hospital intensive care unit. As a retrieval expert he provided medical assistance to the Bali bombing victims. Someone who I studied medicine with, Major David Read, was on the first RAAF Hercules flight to Bali after the incident. He was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross for his service. He helped set up this surgical facility at the airport and started operating before returning to Darwin with 26 patients. I have mentioned just four individuals, but of course all of their teams were involved in the care of the people who returned to Australia.

At the time of the Bali bombings, the Sturt Football Club, a local SANFL football club from Adelaide, were in Bali during this horrific incident. They were celebrating with an end-of-season trip after winning the premiership, their first since 1976. Tragically, two members of the Sturt Football Club—Josh Deegan and Bob Marshall—lost their lives during the Bali bombings and a number of others were injured. Julian Burton OAM, Sturt's full forward at the time, was one of those injured, suffering severe and life-threatening third-degree burns. Julian was in the Sari Club in Kuta when one of the bombs went off. After his long recovery, in 2003 Julian co-founded the burns trust with Dr John Greenwood, the director, and Ms Shiela Kavanagh, CNC of the Royal Adelaide Hospital burns unit. Julian received an OAM in 2006 for his contribution through the Julian Burton Burns Trust. He was named the South Australian of the Year 2010 for his work as the founder of the burns trust.

I have had quite a lot to do with Julian over the years. I well remember the Julian Burton Burns Trust and the Lions Club of Brighton serving 1,000 hot breakfasts to the workers at Mitsubishi just before Christmas 2007. That was probably the first time I met Julian, and I have had a bit to do with him in the years since. I admire very much his passion and drive in making sure that burns prevention and treatment is very much at the forefront of policymakers' minds here and around the country.

If we look at types of injury prevention, just to take one, think of road trauma. It is only by a prolonged effort involving state governments, federal governments, increased awareness, improved roads and improved cars that we have seen a dramatic impact in the road toll. Similarly, with burns we do need a coordinated national approach. The Julian Burton Burns Trust was founded to make a difference for burns survivors, their families, and the professionals who work in burns care. It is the first national community organisation solely committed to prevention, care and research associated with burns injuries. Through their BurnSafe program they educate thousands of students, teachers and parents each year across South Australia in burns awareness, prevention and first aid. The burns trust also provides grant funding for burns professionals to attend the annual Australian and New Zealand Burns Association conference each year. Its patient vehicle service, with the support of Holden and the RAA, transports over 2,000 burns patients each year across South Australia and Victoria. This assists burn victims to travel to and from hospital to have their outpatient treatments for their burn injuries. The trust has created a Bi-National Burns Data Registry between Australia and New Zealand which is designed to record data on a national level for work carried out in burns units around Australia to allow better research and targeting of prevention programs. These are substantial achievements that Julian and the burns trust team should be extremely proud of.

But, if we look at the national figures, over 220,000 Australians suffer a burn of some description each year. Of those, 22,000, or 10 per cent, will require hospital admission requiring major treatment and surgery. Almost two-thirds of all burns occur in the home environment, and burns are one of the top six injuries suffered by Australians every year. This is a very important injury, and it does not get the recognition that its seriousness deserves. Severe burns have a major impact not only on the patient but on their family and friends as well. Severe burns can require hospitalisation for anywhere up to three to four months and require ongoing weekly dressing changes for many months after a patient is released from hospital. Significant damage to the skin from burn injuries can cause, in more extreme cases, contractions of the skin and mobility restrictions, requiring further surgeries and skin grafts to correct. In addition, severe scarring as a result of burns injuries can make a significant impact on self-esteem and self-confidence, becoming a barrier to social interaction.

Burns injuries have not attracted the same public attention as some other preventable injuries have, and this is something that we as a parliament and a society need to improve. An adult patient with burn injuries to 50 per cent of their total body surface area will cost more than $700,000 to treat, with the total annual spend on burns treatment at more than $1½ billion. The majority of burns are preventable, and reducing the incidence of burns in Australia is something that requires more attention.

This motion supports the establishment of a national burn injury prevention plan to reduce the incidence of burns in Australia and improve research, treatment and outcomes for burns patients. The 2010 report by the House Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, of which I was a member at the time, supported this goal. It was also supported by the 2010 roundtable forum on burns prevention, which was convened by the standing committee. I call upon the government and the Minister for Health and Ageing to respond to this report. It was a bipartisan report based on expert evidence and some well-thought-through recommendations.

There needs to be a greater coordination of burns prevention activities within Australia. This could be facilitated through the development of a national burn injury prevention plan. The World Health Organisation in 2008 released A WHO plan for burn prevention and care, and any Australian burn injury prevention plan could be modelled on the WHO document. The issues which could be addressed through the national burn injury prevention plan could include advocacy, policy development processes, data collection and measurement, research, prevention and treatment.

Once again I would like to congratulate Julian Burton and the Julian Burton Burns Trust for their fantastic work in the areas of burn injury prevention and care and support for burns patients and their families, and for their constant focus on research into burns treatment. The vast majority of burns are preventable and, with the economic and social costs of severe burn injuries, we must consider better means of reducing the incidence of burn injuries in Australia.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Hindmarsh for bringing this motion on burn injury prevention to the House. It gives me great pleasure to speak in favour of this motion. Last sitting week I was very pleased the member for Hindmarsh held a function to raise awareness in this place of burn injuries, hosted by the Julian Burton Burns Trust, where we got to hear first-hand about some of the great work that the trust does and also about the horrific impact that serious burns have on people. A wonderful video was shown that really brought home how difficult, how painful, how long term and how debilitating a burns injury can be. Sometimes it can take one split second, one poor decision or just a small mistake to lead to a burns injury that leaves a lifelong impact on people.

It was great to hear of the work that the Julian Burton Burns Trust does in burn prevention. I could have done with one of those lessons last week when I had a pot of boiling oil. I thought the way to cool it down would be to put the vegetables in it. I found quickly it was not the right thing to do. I was very lucky—I ended up with a few burns on my hands. But it just goes to show that in one split second things could have been a lot worse with that oil. As I said, I was very lucky, but some people are not so lucky.

Raising awareness of how to make decisions and how to prevent burns is so critically important. The Julian Burton Burns Trust does that incredibly well. It goes into schools and community groups and talks with people about how to prevent burns. That is to be commended. In addition, at the function last week we also heard from a burns care nurse, who goes in and provides care and support services for burns patients.

The previous speaker mentioned that during the last parliament the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing held an inquiry and produced a report on burns injuries. I was a participating member. One of the great things we were able to do as part of that inquiry was to bring all the players in this area around the table and discuss these issues. It was the first time this had happened for some time. It was great to see everyone in the room discussing these issues. It was a great report. It had some important recommendations that I was very pleased to put forward to the government.

I commend the work of Julian Burton. It was from his tragedy that he decided to make a difference. Unfortunately, he was one of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the 2002 Bali bombings, sustaining life-threatening burns injuries. Despite his personal suffering, he decided to go and try and make a difference to other burns victims. He has continued to do that throughout his recovery and has established the trust through which he raises money for prevention, care and research. This work is very important.

The motion in front of us today recognises that 220,000 Australians will suffer a burn injury every year. Indigenous people living in remote communities are disproportionately affected by burns injuries when compared to those living in metropolitan areas. The cost to the Australian government from burns injuries is estimated at $1.5 billion annually, but the costs are much greater for those who survive injuries through their pain and suffering. This motion is very important and draws attention to burns and the work that the Julian Burton Burns Trust does. I commend the motion to the House and certainly wish the Julian Burton Burns Trust, all those organisations, all those nurses, all those doctors who treat people with severe burns injuries and the victims themselves all the very best for the future.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion on burn injury prevention put forward by the member for Hindmarsh. I thank the member for putting this motion before the House this evening. I congratulate the member for Kingston on her contribution. I am glad to see she made it back to the House this week without any severe burns from her cooking experience. The motion raises much needed awareness of burns treatment and burns prevention strategies. I congratulate once again the member for Hindmarsh, who is the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing and of which I am deputy chair, for having clearly taken on board the spirit of the roundtable which we conducted on burns prevention. That roundtable brought together experts on burns prevention from all over Australia. It was the first time it had happened and they congratulated the parliament for making the effort to bring them together so that they could swap ideas about burns.

I am sure the member for Hindmarsh will be pleased to know that I have also taken on the recommendation from the inquiry to increase burns management awareness in my electorate. I will soon be starting an information campaign in the electorate of Swan for first aid and burns. One of the things I found out after the burns roundtable was that many people in the electorate and in the community do not know how to treat burns properly once they have been burnt. I have managed to come up with a fridge magnet that will tell people how to treat burns as a result of electrical and chemical fires and scalds. I will be sending these out to every household in my electorate because it is such an important issue. This motion also commemorates the ninth anniversary of the Bali bombings, which took the lives of 202 people, including 88 Australians in Kuta, on 12 October 2002. I have spoken in this place about the bombings before, and I have spoken about the special resonance the anniversary has in Western Australia. Many Australians looked on in dread on 11 September 2001 as the World Trade Centre was attacked in New York. The terrorist attacks on 11 September upset Australians as we shared the uncertainty and the fear Americans experienced in the aftermath of the attacks. These fears were realised in Bali on 12 October 2002 as the horror of terrorism found its way to Australia's doorstep and hit our nearest neighbour, Indonesia. This event deeply affected our nation, as the stories of death and of burns victims filled the evening news. The attack involved the detonation of three bombs—two of which were detonated at nightclubs in Kuta that were popular with Australian travellers. A third bomb was detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar.

A large number of the victims of the Bali bombings were from my home state of Western Australia. In March 2010, I met with the governor of Bali, Governor Pastika, to discuss the goals of the Bali Peace Park Association, a Western Australian organisation whose aim is to establish a Bali peace park at the site where the bombings took place. I also met with Nick Way, from Channel 10, who is also promoting the Bali peace park. The aim of the park is to promote a future without fear by promoting tolerance, understanding and freedom for future generations, regardless of nationality, culture, religious belief or race. I will continue to provide my support to this group as they work to have the park open by 12 October 2012.

Julian Burton, who is referred to in the motion, is a former Australian footballer and teacher who experienced the horrific events at the Sari Club in 2002. Julian received severe burns and spent an extended time recovering from the blasts. Julian's story is one that I am sure many of my colleagues in this place will agree is an inspiring and truly Australian story. Instead of letting the bombings ruin his life, Julian turned the events into an opportunity. After completing some research, Julian discovered that there was no national burn care community organisation in existence in Australia. This is despite the fact that burns are one of the top three injuries suffered by Australians every year. Julian established the Julian Burton Burns Trust in 2003, along with Dr John Greenwood, Director, and Ms Sheila Kavanagh, CNC of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Burns Unit. The aim of the trust is to make a difference for burns sufferers, their families, and the professionals who work in burns care. The organisation is doing much to support the 220,000 Australians who will suffer from burns injuries every year. This includes Indigenous Australians living in remote areas, who are up to 25 times more likely to suffer a serious burns injury than those living in metropolitan areas.

Julian was recognised in 2006 with a Medal of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the communities of Australia through the Julian Burton Burns Trust. I am glad to have the opportunity today to recognise the enormous contribution Julian has made. I commend this motion to the House.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.