Australian Chinese Medical Association of South Australia

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (12:47): I move:

That this house—

1. acknowledges the 25^th anniversary of the Australian Chinese Medical Association of SA (ACMA-SA);

2. pays tribute to past and present presidents and committee members of ACMA-SA for their leadership and long-term commitment to support charitable causes, community programs and healthcare services for the South Australian community; and

3. highlights the achievements and contributions of ACMA-SA and the Australian-Chinese medical professionals made to Australia and South Australia.

This motion put by me a number of months ago now (the date on the paper I have is early in February) has been a while coming, but that is all the more reason for us to make sure we do bring up these motions because they are very important motions that are being put before this house on a Thursday morning.

Thursday mornings have changed a little bit in their intent and demeanour, as we saw in the recent division, but the opportunity to highlight to the house and, hopefully, to the people of South Australia the valuable contribution of many organisations across this state—everything from sporting organisations through to the volunteer groups of this world such as Rotary, Lions and Apex—is so important, plus events that are going on in South Australia, nationally and sometimes internationally.

In this case, in many ways it is an international organisation that I want to speak about. I acknowledge the fact that the motion was put together by the Hon. Jing Lee in the other place. The Australian Chinese Medical Association was founded in 1992, so it has been around for quite a while. The association promotes professional and social exchanges within the local medical community. It is also strongly represented in the wider society through a variety of community activities.

The society currently has about 150 members. Over one-third of its members are GPs, another third are specialists and the remainder includes resident medical officers and medical students. I put on the record that my son, Lachlan, is a resident medical officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital at the moment, not that there is any conflict of interest or any other conflicts associated with the fine work that he and other resident medical officers are doing, particularly those who are members of the Australian Chinese Medical Association.

The Australian Chinese Medical Association also has an annual scientific meeting. The content of those meetings is varied and encompasses many different topics of medicine and surgery, with a focus on current scientific and clinical knowledge. This is so important in any area of medical sciences. I certainly know in my own professional area of veterinary science to keep up with the latest developments. Continuing professional development is so important because you need to keep up with the latest developments in techniques, pharmacology and surgical techniques and also, in the case of human medicine, mental health issues.

The Australian Chinese Medical Association is a vibrant, united and growing organisation, thanks to the hardworking organising committee and the steady support of all its members and sponsors. The ACMA (SA) has many sponsors. I attended one of their dinners a few years ago and was delighted to take part in their raffle, as we all do, and won a BMW coupe for the weekend. I do not know the value of the prize.

I still have not taken the prize, quite honestly, and I was going to have it redrawn, but they insisted I take it, so I kept it but have still not used it. The association is really welcoming, and I certainly enjoyed that night. William Tam, who is now President of the AMA in South Australia, who is not only a highly skilled professional but also a very delightful person to be with, was there on the night, and he is still a strong supporter of the association.

Another major event that the ACMA holds is the Annual Chinese New Year Dinner. It is hosted by their major sponsor, Adelaide BMW, and it is great to see such sponsors supporting these sorts of organisations. The ACMA charity dinner is an amazing night. I have not been to one, but it is legendary around the medical profession as a major fundraising gala dinner and raises money for many organisations. A long list of charities has benefited from the charity night and the ACMA Foundation, which is a separate arm of the ACMA.

They include the Medical Benevolent Association of South Australia; the Flying Doctor Association; CANTEEN; the Royal Blind Society of South Australia; the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, in research for a vaccine against nasopharyngeal diseases; the Sichuan Earthquake Appeal, through the Chinese Embassy in Canberra and the Chinese Red Cross; the Eyre Peninsula Bushfire Appeal, through the Australian Red Cross; the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, through the Australian Red Cross; and financial assistance to help a Chinese family whose son needed surgery at the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital.

Bringing in young children from overseas to allow them to undergo surgical procedures in South Australia is something that we can all be very proud of. Our hospital system is very good, although it could be improved and there is a need to continually watch it. It is a very costly area to be in, but one thing that really stands out is the skill level not only of the surgeons and doctors who belong to the Australian Chinese Medical Association but also of all our doctors and nurses and the staff who work behind the scenes—technicians, pathologists, and the list of people who make our health system what it is goes on. Particularly for children from countries where skills, techniques and facilities are not available for life-changing if not life-saving surgery, this is something we should all be very proud of. It is great to see that the Chinese Medical Association is one of those organisations, along with others, that is bringing children from overseas to have that life-saving or life-changing surgery here in South Australia.

We have all seen the heartrending stories on the television of children who are being ostracised but not by their families, and that is one thing that does amaze me. It really pulls at your heartstrings that families never abandon these children, but sometimes they are not accepted in their communities as well as we would like them to be. But, after this life-changing surgery here, they go back to much better lives, and that is something that not only the Chinese Medical Association but all of us even in here can be very proud of because we are part of providing that service.

The Chinese Medical Association also provides moral, social and financial support to families involved in serious tragic car accidents. It also provides support to orphanages in various parts of China. The association has been in South Australia since 1992 and has a long record of assisting not only these various charities through their foundations, and continuing to promote advances in medical sciences, but also of being a very important part of the Chinese ethnic groups in South Australia, and it is another part of the wonderful jigsaw that makes up this State of South Australia.

As a brand-new MP, I did go to a Chinese New Year celebration. I do not think it was the Chinese Medical Association dinner—although it may have been involved—but it was put on by the Fuzhou Chinese ethnic group. What amazed me then was that the men sat on one table and the women on another, and the men were all served. Then premier Rann sent along a woman to represent him, a public servant, and that person was on another table (which perhaps would not happen nowadays), but the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of our groups in South Australia are diverse. That has changed quite a bit now.

Certainly, we should all be very proud of people such as those in the Chinese Medical Association in South Australia who are promoting not only their medical prowess and pushing forward changes but also promoting professional development and their work in our wonderful multicultural society in South Australia. With those words, I congratulate the Chinese Medical Association on what they have been doing, and I hope the house supports the motion.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (12:58): The Australian Chinese Medical Association of South Australia was founded in 1992, 25 years ago. From its inception those 25 years ago, the Australian Chinese Medical Association of South Australia has strived to promote professional and social exchanges with the South Australian medical community, to enhance and build upon knowledge and to strongly represent itself and its members in the wider society through various community activities.

The association currently has around 150 members, with one-third of its members being GPs, another third being specialists and the remaining third being resident medical officers and medical students. The Australian Chinese Medical Association Foundation, formed in 1996, is the charity arm of the association and, since 2008, has been honoured with the patronage of His Excellency the Governor of South Australia, Mr Hieu Van Le.

The objectives of the foundation are to support medical research and education in South Australia, promote community health education. encourage research for medical students at Adelaide and Flinders universities, provide awards for excellence for medical students at Adelaide and Flinders universities and fund the projects that benefit the elderly and disadvantaged, all of which have really worthy objectives.

Another part of the Australian Chinese Medical Association of South Australia is the young ACMA. The young ACMA was formed to cater specifically for the younger members as well as medical students and has aims to foster strong bonds amongst the young doctors across all fields of medicine, as well as to encourage professional and social relationships with young and senior ACMA members and to organise educational and social events.

Throughout its 25 years, the ACMA of South Australia has proved itself a dedicated and united association thanks in no small part to its hardworking organised committee and, of course, the steady support of all its members. I congratulate the current president, Dr Jane Zhang, and vice president, Dr Kien Ha, along with all other board members past and present. The future of the ACMA of SA is, indeed, bright, and we on this side certainly do support this motion.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (13:00): I thank the member for Elder for her contribution.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.