Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Congratulations, Deputy Speaker, on your appointment. Last Friday 22 July I once again I joined members of our community living with fragile X syndrome, their loved ones and supporters on the steps of Launceston's town hall as it lit up in orange in support of World Fragile X Day. The genetic disorder, which is more common in boys than girls, can result in a wide range of physical, intellectual and behavioural symptoms and is the most common inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability worldwide.

For local parents Brent and Claire Colgrave, community organisations have been critical as they help their two sons, Harry and Tom, navigate life while living with the syndrome, with New Horizons Tasmania and the Mowbray Cricket Club providing a sense of connection and inclusiveness for the young men. Ms Colgrave said:

Luckily, we live in a fantastic small community in Tassie and in Launceston. These kids and these young adults, and even older adults, just want to be the same as other people. They want to feel included and loved. They don't want to be treated differently.

I understand that there is more work to be done in the areas of early diagnosis and of both early identification of people who are carrying the Fragile X gene permutation and early identification of those who have the syndrome. Further work is also needed by researchers and clinicians to identify future treatments. I look forward to working with the Fragile X Association of Australia to help advance this work where I can.