Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm delighted to amplify Juliette's voice today as part of our Raise our Voice in Parliament program for 2025:

By the end of 2050, up to 70% of the world's infectious diseases are predicted to become untreatable due to antimicrobial resistance. Treatment for pneumonia is proven to become ineffective by 2040.

Penicillin and numerous other first line antibiotics are already ineffective against staph and skin infections. With increased immigration and travel it is of the utmost importance to protect future generations from a problem that only the government can control: antimicrobial resistance.

This looming crisis is not a distant threat, it is being accelerated by a number of urgent and preventable factors. From the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, such as in salmon farming, to poor infection control in healthcare settings, the forces driving antimicrobial resistance are multifaceted and deeply entrenched.

Without immediate intervention, including improved diagnostics and increased investment in research, future generations will be left vulnerable to infections we once easily cured.

Just recently, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has significantly reduced research into new antibiotics. While this development may not affect him as much as coming generations, to protect the future of the human race, antimicrobial resistance must be treated as a credible threat.

It is vital that the government addresses this danger for the health and safety of humanity.

Thank you.

Thank you, Juliette.