Kristina Keneally (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators McCarthy, Rice, Molan, Gichuhi and Bilyk, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) today marks International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day,

  (ii) on this day, parents, families and friends will memorialise babies they have lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death, and

  (iii) Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is an opportunity to officially acknowledge the losses experienced by parents and families across Australia;

(b) acknowledges that in Australia:

  (i) it is estimated that one in four pregnancies result in miscarriage – that is 103 000 every year,

  (ii) in 2016, 2 849 lives were lost due to stillbirth or newborn death,

  (iii) despite medical advancements, the stillbirth rate has not changed in two decades,

  (iv) the rate of stillbirth and newborn death is 70 per cent higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and

  (v) Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of this difficult reality and start a conversation about miscarriage and infant loss;

(c) expresses sympathy to all families who have suffered a miscarriage, a stillbirth or infant death; and

(d) commends each and every person who has supported parents and families through their journey from the loss of a baby.