Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend the motion standing in my name.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That this House:

(1) recognises:

(a) that Brain Injury Awareness Week will be held from 9 to 15 March 2015;

(b) that over 700,000 Australians live with a brain injury; and

(c) the work done by the Bouverie Centre in conjunction with the Victorian Department of Human Services to improve services provided to people with acquired brain injury; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) provide more services to accommodate people with a brain injury; and

(b) develop a national scale partnership similar to the partnership seen in Victoria which helps people with a brain injury, and their family members.

(3)further recognises that Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) can be acquired in many varied and different ways, e.g. as a result of an accident, a stroke, drug and alcohol abuse, tumours, poisoning, and disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease; and

(4)calls on the Government to:

(a)work with Brain Injury Australia to establish a nation-wide policy which will reflect the needs of people with an ABI, as well as the needs of their families;

(b)undertake a public awareness campaign to inform the public about ABI, its causes, prevention and management; and

(c)provide more funding for research into ABI.

Last week was Brain Injury Awareness Week. I think it is a really important time for us to sit and look at the implications of acquired brain injury, something that impacts on the lives of 700,000 Australians who are living with brain injury. Acquired brain injury is any damage to the brain that occurs after birth. The damage can be caused by an accident, by trauma, by stroke, by alcohol and other drugs or by diseases such as Parkinson's. Three out of every four Australians living with acquired brain injury are under the age of 65 and as many as two out of every three of these acquired their brain injury before they turned 25, and three out of every four with acquired brain injury are men. Any number of factors can cause acquired brain injury.

I have a young woman who works in my office as a volunteer. She was attending university when she was diagnosed with brain tumours. It has had an enormous impact on her life. She now spends most of her time in a wheelchair. She cannot work, has visual problems and has problems with her speech, yet she is still intelligent and is an integral part of our team in the office. In this country, people do not really understand what acquired brain injury is, do not understand that acquired brain injury is very distinct from intellectual disability. When the brain is damaged, some other aspect of ourselves changes. People, after suffering a brain injury, quite frequently are a different person to the person they were before the brain injury.

If you look at how we view ourselves, if you look at the importance of the brain, if you look at so much of who we are, it is linked to our brain. If our brain is injured, it can affect our mobility, our ability to eat or talk, our intellect, our intelligence level, and our cognitive ability. As such, it has an enormous impact.

I would like to spend the remaining time talking a little bit about the Hunter Medical Research Institute which has teamed up with the Newcastle Knights. They have been looking at concussion in rugby league players. It is a neurological study that is of a very different kind where players are undergoing state-of-the-art MRI scans at the newly opened HMRI imaging centre. It is under the auspices of Professor Chris Levi, who is a leader in this area and in the area of brain and mental health research. He is undertaking this research that I think will provide a lot of information on the impact of trauma. The MRI scanning will complement assessments that are being provided looking at precise real-time visual perspectives of brain response. It will open up new knowledge in concussion and acquired brain injury.

This is just one aspect of acquired brain injury, one area where there is research being undertaken, one area that looks at the impact of acquired brain injury. I am calling for more studies and more research into acquired brain injury and for better services and better support for those living with acquired brain injury and for their families, because acquired brain injury is one of those acquired injuries that really are life changing.

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

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Brain Injury Awareness Week is held every year in March. With more than 700,000 Australians living with a brain injury it is vital that we give as much support as possible to those working on treatments and cures. I thank the member for Shortland for bringing this motion to the House, as it gives me the opportunity to again highlight the outstanding researchers at the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute, who are working day and night to find better ways of looking after our brains and to find treatment and cures for trauma and injury. I spoke last week about their most recent breakthrough in Alzheimer's research, but there is so much more being achieved at the institute.

For more than a decade, the founding director, Professor Perry Bartlett, and his team have achieved remarkable results, with major scientific discoveries. The institute comprises three research centres designed to specialise in different aspects of brain research: the Science of Learning Centre, which identifies and researches effective teaching; the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, which is entirely for research into the prevention and treatment of dementia; and the Centre for Neurogenetics and Statistical Genomics, which looks at the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders, motor neurone disease and cognitive ageing. The researchers work in collaboration with clinicians and commercial partners also to develop therapeutic approaches to alleviate the effects of brain diseases.

Brain injuries can be caused in many ways, sometimes through brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease, sometimes by alcohol and drug use, sometimes by a stroke or sometimes by trauma. Brain injury caused by trauma such as motor vehicle accidents is too common an occurrence in Australia. That is why there is a major need for more research into what happens to the brain after this type of injury is experienced. The Motor Accident Insurance Commission recognises this and is committed to provide funding to the Queensland Brain Institute, which will allow them to employ a full-time researcher in the field of trauma. Currently, there is no precise way to assess the level of brain damage after an injury nor is there a way to track changes or the effectiveness of treatment. This research area is a field in which the Queensland Brain Institute is hoping to expand, and this extra funding will be of huge assistance.

Another brain injury that is a major cause of disability is stroke. They also happen far too frequently, with one person suffering a stroke every 10 minutes in Australia. Researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute have had some major success in recent times in the study of brain damage caused by strokes. They have found that the worst damage to the brain is often caused not by the stroke itself but by what happens to the brain afterwards, when it is trying to repair itself. When clots form in the brain after a stroke they cause inflammation, which is very damaging. Scientists have found that a molecule called CAL-101 has proven to stop this inflammation. Using this molecule for a first-response treatment and continuing to promote current public health messages to identify the signs of stroke could be a huge step forward in lowering the rate of strokes.

The estimated economic burden of strokes in Australia is $49.3 billion and they contribute to around 40 per cent of dementias. At the end of last year, the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation donated $2.5 million to the Queensland Brain Institute to fight stroke induced dementia, known as vascular dementia. This is another example of the impressive reputation of the institute and the research being conducted.

During Brain Injury Awareness Week, we think about all those affected by brain injury and their families. Considering that three out of every four of the people living with brain injuries are under the age of 65 and that two out of three acquired the injury before the age of 25, it is important to get answers about how our brains work and it is important that we do it sooner rather than later.

We should all be proud of Professor Perry Bartlett and his remarkable team at the Queensland Brain Institute for their dedication and commitment to finding treatments and cures for these injuries. They are continuing to have great success, and it is important that we support their funding and promote the institute so that we may have a future where brain injuries become a thing of the past.

Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Brain Injury Australia estimates that well over 600,000 Australians live with a brain injury. ABI is distinct from intellectual disability. People with a brain injury may have difficulty controlling, coordinating and communicating their thoughts and actions, but generally retain their intellectual abilities. As earlier speakers have said, three out every four people with an ABI are aged under 65. As many as two out of every three people with an ABI acquired their brain injury before they turned 25. And three out of every four people with ABI are men. We may speculate that this is due to men being more likely to be involved in sporting injuries, car accidents and physical assaults.

ABI is a complex and individual condition. When the brain is injured people can experience a range of disabilities that will affect them physically, as well as affecting how they think, feel and behave. Long-term effects are difficult to predict and will be different for each person. The significant changes in personality and behaviour of a person with a brain injury can be difficult for families to cope with. ABI affects all family members, including the injured person, partners, parents, children, siblings, extended family members and community networks. Distress, concern and changes in relationships are common in families adjusting to the long-term effects of ABI. This has been described as the ripple or domino effect on the family after the injury where other family members experience their own adjustment difficulties. Therefore, someone who suffers an ABI will not only experience a loss of function but also often lose many aspects that define their life, such as their job, their marriage, their friends and their standing in society.

ABI is often called the 'hidden disability', because it can cause problems with a person's cognitive functions and these new thought processes, habits and unusual behaviours are not as easy to recognise as other physical disabilities such as vision impairment or quadriplegia. As a result, people with brain injury are often misunderstood and their disabilities not recognised. For example, it can be easy to lose patience with someone whose brain injury causes them to be extremely forgetful or incapable of initiating action, or who becomes very aggressive over small issues. ABI can often cause personality change, turning a once peaceful, easygoing individual into an aggressive and even violent one.

Coupled with this, ABI sufferers can also experience problems with impulse control. This can mean that they will say and do socially inappropriate things. Such behaviour often alienates their friends and endangers the sufferer when out in society. The combination of these two impacts can lead to ABI sufferers finding themselves in trouble with the law or even incarcerated. Other impacts of an ABI often include epilepsy, slowed reactions, poor balance, difficulty concentrating, sight and hearing impairments and memory problems. A brain injury can even affect one's sense of smell. That might sound benign enough, but, for example, it can become dangerous if there is a gas leak.

While the outcome of the injury depends largely on the nature and severity of the injury itself, appropriate treatment plays a vital role in the level of recovery. This is where occupational therapy and ongoing support to the ABI sufferer and their carers is vital to a patient's recovery. Unless people with an ABI have the ongoing support of a good network of family and friends, they find it difficult to obtain any form of assistance. As a consequence, their psychosocial functioning may be affected and many end up living in psychiatric hospitals, boarding houses or prisons, or they become homeless.

It is at this point I would like to recognise the exceptional work undertaken by service providers supporting people suffering a brain injury. I would particularly like    to mention the tremendous work of BrainLink and Monash Health. BrainLink services is a Victorian based service that is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people affected by acquired disorders of the brain. Located in Blackburn, BrainLink offers a wide range of support services to people with an ABI, their families and their carers. BrainLink's first priority is to respond to the immediate needs of the families and friends of those who are living with an acquired brain disorder. BrainLink offers a first point of call for families at onset of diagnosis; peer support programs; innovative and flexible respite opportunities; specialised case management; comprehensive information and resources; and a referral service to assist the community in navigating the disability service sector. In my own electorate of Bruce, I wish to recognise the important work done by the skilled staff at Monash Health in the rehabilitation of people who have experienced a brain injury.

At the Dandenong Hospital there is an acute rehabilitation ward where people who have experienced trauma take their first steps to recovery. For their ongoing journey, Monash Health Community Brain Injury Services helps people with an ABI to achieve their goals, take control of their lives and develop life skills to maintain their independence, and offers educational, recreational and employment services.

People suffering an ABI are often overlooked due the hidden nature of their disability. Today, I join with calls on the government to provide more services to accommodate people with a brain injury and work to develop a national scale partnership—similar to the partnership seen in Victoria, which helps people with a brain injury and their family members.

I would like to congratulate the Member for Shortland for bringing this matter to the attention of the House. The people who suffer from ABI are throughout all our electorates and throughout the entire country. They are deserving of recognition of their issues, and I will support from government and from community service to ensure they have the opportunity to live their lives.

Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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)

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the motion moved by the member for Shortland and thank her and all the speakers who have risen to speak on this motion. It does us great credit in this House when we move things in a bipartisan manner, recognising the issues and concerns of our electorate and dealing with them in a mature way. The Federal Chamber is a nice place in which we can often do that, and it is a pity that the public does not get to see that more visible reality of the parliament working for the betterment of the nation.

Brain injury if often referred to as the invisible disability. The majority—three out of four—who acquire a brain injury will make a good physical recovery but will sustain often debilitating and permanent cognitive disabilities, including difficulties with memory and concentration, resulting in a reduced ability to learn, to plan and to solve problems. People with a brain injury are regularly thought unintelligent, unmotivated and uncooperative, which is doubly disabling. It is an invisible disability because there is often no outward physical appearance, but behavioural traits change. So people are given a label that indicates they have something wrong with them, but people do not understand the underlying cause. Also people say, 'You've recovered. Surely you should move on.' But all of us have known somebody who has suffered a stroke, and a lot of those disabilities stay with you for a long time.

So brain injury is the hidden disability. Brain injury, like a lot of other disabilities, tracks social locative disadvantage. People at the greatest risk of a brain injury are drawn from exactly the same population as those who are at risk from any other injury: from backgrounds of low income, low levels of education, high levels of unemployment, poor housing and so on. Often services for these individuals go missing because they are not in the suburbs where the individuals have greatest lobbying power. The 655,000 Australians that the Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates have a brain injury are also radically under-represented in the disability service system. Brain Injury Australia fears for its hidden unknown number living at or beyond the margins: Indigenous Australians, the homeless, the incarcerated. One of the surprising statistics is the number of people in jails who have a acquired brain injury, as is those living at home being cared for by family and friends whose brain injury is unknown, undiagnosed and untreated.

There are over 20,000 hospitalised for traumatic brain injury every year in this country, and that is a staggering number. Between 2,000 and 3,000 of those moderate to severe injuries are associated with some manner of profound and permanent disability. It is a large statistic that often goes unnoticed. As Brain Injury Australia has found, many have concluded that lived experience of acquired disability is distinct and different from a cognitive, development disability. For many of the brain injury Australians, their brain injury is in the prime of their life, occurring right at the point of entry into adult life and the maximum expression of independence from family:

… in leaving home, adventuring in the world of work, embarking on further study. Instead, their injury becomes the watershed event of their life. Often just a moment, an instant, of—nothing more, or less—than inattention, than undue risk—their own—

or, tragically—

somebody else's—that moment, that instant divides their life in two. And coming to terms with the reality that the watershed cannot be completely bridged is often a lifelong struggle.

There is a girl and her phenomenal family who I have met with many times through the fantastic organisation called BrainLink that both I and the member for Bruce have had great dealings with for many years because of their extraordinary CEO Sharon Strugnell. The life of this girl, and that of her family, was ruined by a violent boyfriend. Her life was destroyed at the hands of someone who was meant to love her, and she has been confined to a wheelchair and to a life that will never be the same. Again, it happened in the prime of her life when she was just 20. But the family did have access to BrainLink and did have access to support and did have access to respite and information.

When many acquired brain injuries happen and people go into hospital, they do not know what to expect or where to go. BrainLink provides a service at hospital, and even at the children's hospital. A lot of children, through epilepsy and through other acts unknown, are faced with this lifelong change, and it is the families who need the support. BrainLink is one such service that I cannot speak more highly of for what they do. Every year I bang on a beanie—a very attractive look—for Brain Injury Awareness Week and to remember our brains and to pay attention to them.

Debate adjourned.