Nickolas Varvaris (Barton, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am glad to announce that last week I met with Andy Paschalidis, a tireless advocate for the Heartbeat of Football campaign, and Reno Aprile from the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation, to discuss the future installation of a zap stand to be located my electorate of Barton at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah. This will be a great result, as it will be the first 24-hour-monitored defibrillator at a sportsground and will be the model for all sportsgrounds around Australia. The installation of life-saving defibrillators across all New South Wales sporting fields is something that I have been passionately supporting since my appointment as the member for Barton. It is essential that we supply defibrillators to all sporting locations, so that everyone has access to properly equipped defibrillators to save lives. Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of sudden death in Western society. It is the silent killer that can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. The proper deployment of defibrillators is essential to survival. Sadly, between 2014 and 2015 we lost nine players in Sydney alone. There have been other fatalities, before and after games and training, which have not been reported. Cardiac arrest kills between 23,000 and 33,000 Australians each year—more than breast cancer and road crashes combined. The installation of a zap stand defibrillator at Jubilee Oval will benefit the sportsground, school students, teachers, parents, 10 local shops and approximately 244 local residents. This is all helping to build a better Barton and to support the fight against cardiac arrest.