Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Keneally, Bilyk, McCarthy, Lambie, Waters, Hughes and Polley, I 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 2018, 2419 lives were lost due to stillbirth or newborn death,

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

  (iv) the rate of stillbirth and newborn death is 20% higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

(c) acknowledges the bipartisan Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education tabled its report on 4 December 2018 which contained 16 recommendations;

(d) congratulates the Federal Government for this week's launch of the Safer Baby Bundle educational resources to support healthcare professionals with new strategies to help reduce stillbirths;

(e) looks forward to the Federal Government's release of the National Stillbirth Action Plan, due for public consultation in early 2020, which will outline strategies to reduce stillbirth rates and provide support for bereaved families;

(f) recognises that 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;

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

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

(i) gives special recognition to previous generations who experienced such a devastating loss during a time when not only was the subject taboo, but families were given even less of an opportunity to commemorate and remember their children.

Question agreed to.