Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I table a response from the President, Alzheimer’s Australia (Ms Buttrose, AO, OBE) to a resolution of the Senate of 19 September concerning Dementia Awareness Week.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I sought leave to discuss this document because I was very pleased that the Senate supported the passing of this motion, which was moved by Senator Polley and Senator Brown, on this particular issue. I thought it was important to note a couple of things, including that the report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare on 27 September contains some of the latest research on dementia. It also notes the increasing importance and need for urgency to deal with this particular issue. The report, Dementia in Australia, launched by the AIHW, shows that in the less than 10 years, by 2020, the number of people who will suffer from dementia is going to increase by at least one-third. That is a significant number. We are going to have numbers around 400,000 by 2020, and that will increase to around 900,000 by 2050.

Although the motion was relying on the current information of the time—that is, it is expected that almost 280,000 people are with dementia—the AIHW report indicates that an estimated 298,000 people were living with dementia in 2011. That is a significant number of people and, as I have articulated, the report says the number of people is going to increase significantly in the next 10 years. This highlights the need for research, which is one of the points that Ms Buttrose, the President of Alzheimer's Australia, makes in the report. That is one of the issues that Ms Buttrose points to in her letter back to the Senate about this particular motion. She said:

The missing element for the future is an investment in research that will give Australians confidence of being able to identify those at risk of dementia and to develop new treatments to modify the progression of the disease.

Alzheimer's Australia is advocating for an increase in investment in dementia research in the 2013 budget of $200 million over five years to build capacity in dementia research, fund new research projects, invest in dementia research infrastructure and promote knowledge translation. That is one of the key points that also came up the week before last when that report was released—that is, the urgent need for increased research given the increasing number of people who are going to be affected by dementia by the year 2020.

Alzheimer's Australia is continuing to do a lot of work on this issue of raising awareness. Alzheimer's Australia WA is also doing a lot of work, and on that point I would like to note that they are doing a memory walk on 21 October. They are hoping it will give the community an opportunity to get together and take a stand against dementia; to remember loved ones who have been lost to dementia as well as those who continue to suffer; and in particular to honour, help and acknowledge carers, both paid and unpaid, who are providing essential support to those living with dementia in our community. Without those carers, paid and particularly unpaid, we would not be able to deal with the growing burden of dementia in Australia.

Alzheimer's Australia WA is hoping to get at least 1,600 people at that walk, because that is the number of people diagnosed with dementia each week. Of course that number is going to grow weekly as the number of people who have dementia grow. So I certainly urge people in Western Australia to take part in that memory walk, and when they are walking—and not just those who are there, but also those who cannot make it—I urge them to think about this particular issue. Although Alzheimer's Awareness Week was in September, it has to be Alzheimer's awareness week every week. We need to be increasing awareness of Alzheimer's every week. So I urge people to keep thinking about it, to work out how they can help address the issues around Alzheimer's and, if you are in Western Australia, I urge people to get along to the walk so that they can participate in increasing awareness in their communities, with their own loved ones, family and friends because everyone needs to become aware of this particular issue.

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of the document and I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.