It was a pleasure to join Nunawading Cricket Club for their pink stumps day lunch at Mahoneys Reserve. On the day we heard from breast cancer survivor Megan about her firsthand experience, both the trauma she experienced and the immense resilience she showed during her journey.
In light of this, my constituency question is directed to the Minister for Health. Minister, how will women in the Glen Waverley district be able to engage with our landmark women’s pain inquiry?
For too long women’s health issues have been seen as a niche issue, but the reality is women make up over half of the Victorian community and women’s health has been overlooked for too long, not just issues like women-specific cancers but also fertility-related conditions, women’s pain and general health issues that are underdiagnosed.
Spreading awareness matters. I congratulate the Nunawading Cricket Club for running their pink stumps day to share these important stories. I commend all involved, including Megan for sharing her story and club president Rob Ferdinands for their leadership. I am proud to be part of a government that treats these issues with the focus they deserve. I look forward to the minister’s response.
Minister’s Response:
I want to thank the Member for his tireless advocacy for the health and wellbeing of his local community. I know Mr Mullahy is keenly interested in making sure that women in his electorate and across Victoria have access to the healthcare they need.
The Allan Labor Government acknowledges that women face real and enduring challenges when seeking health care and support for pain. The Women’s Health Engage Victoria Survey reported that 2 in 5 respondents lived with chronic pain that adversely affects their health and wellbeing.
The Inquiry into Women’s Pain aims to address the challenges faced by girls and women seeking care for pain. The Inquiry will provide recommendations to inform improved models of care and service delivery for Victorian girls and women experiencing pain in the future.
The Inquiry will report on Victorian girls and women 12 years of age and over with living and lived experience of pain and consider opportunities to improve access to treatment and care. The Inquiry aims to:
- provide an opportunity for girls and women from across our community to share their experiences of pain and pain management in their own words and for these experiences to be heard and acknowledged.
- listen to the experiences of girls, women, carers and clinicians to identify the barriers and enablers when accessing care, treatment and services for pain conditions.
- describe the impact of the current service delivery system on care for pain conditions.
- identify opportunities to improve the care, treatment and services for pain conditions.
- consider appropriate models of care, service delivery frameworks, workforce skill mix and other areas requiring change.
- translate research and evidence-based interventions that address unwarranted sex and gender variations and improve the equity of outcomes relating to the access and efficacy of pain management.
The delivery of this Inquiry is led by Safer Care Victoria, the Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council and the Inquiry into Women’s Pain Sub-Committee.
The Sub-Committee will deliver a final report of the Women’s Health Pain Inquiry to the Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council by December 2024. The Inquiry report will include recommendations to inform improved models of care and service delivery for Victorian girls and women experiencing pain in the future.
I encourage women from the Glen Waverly District to participate in the Inquiry and share their experiences via the options outlined above.
For more information about the Inquiry and related participation opportunities, please refer to the Inquiry’s website https://www.health.vic.gov.au/inquiry-into-womens-pain or contact paininquiry@safercare.vic.gov.au.
The Hon Mary-Anne Thomas MP
Minister for Health
Minister for Health Infrastructure
Minister for Ambulance Services
