Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Middle-aged women and many men are part of the sandwich generation, raising children while caring for ageing parents—all while working. The result is fatigue, stress and parental exhaustion. In the US the Surgeon General has declared it an urgent public health issue, urging us to treat parenting as vital societal work not as a private burden. That call echoes our own government's agenda. We are expanding paid parental leave; protecting your rights at work, like sick leave; making child care more affordable; and rolling out 61 Medicare mental health clinics, that are walk-in and free, right across the country. These pillars recognise that no parent should carry the load alone.

Midlife pressures are not just social; they are also biological. For women, perimenopause brings higher risks of depression and anxiety. It affects more than half the population. Yet, for too long, it has been overlooked in mainstream medical care. That's why Labor's decision to add Estrogel Pro, Estrogel and Prometrium to the PBS is groundbreaking. For the first time in over 20 years—I can't believe it took 20 years—modern HRT will be more affordable for millions of Australian women. Over 100,000 women who once paid for private scripts will now pay just $32 per script, going down to $25 in January next year. For too long women going through menopause have had their symptoms dismissed. Menopause is natural, but the symptoms are not trivial. They are treatable, and women should not be left to suffer in silence. To women across Australia, including those from multicultural communities where women's health is rarely discussed: talk to your doctor. Affordable, effective therapies are now available. Go and speak to your doctor. (Time expired)