Statewide Paediatric Eating Disorder Service

Ms LUETHEN (King) (12:14): I move:

(a) recognises that people living with an eating disorder or their carer or family members often need support to navigate and access treatment, support and recovery;

(b) welcomes the Marshall Liberal government’s commitment to establishing a Statewide Paediatric Eating Disorder Service (SPEDS); and

(c) encourages the Marshall Liberal government to ensure the service is codesigned with lived experience.

Today, I chose not to wear my shapewear on purpose. Writing this speech made we reflect on this choice of why I thought it was necessary. It is important that our speeches and our actions in this place reflect the change we wish to see, as well as the difficult experiences people in our community are telling us about.

Families are telling me that the SA Health services provided at crisis point are helping to save their family members’ lives, but they are also telling me that there is a need for more follow-up after this point and that there is a need for more early intervention and support.

As a member of the Marshall Liberal government, I know that there are better health services budgeted and coming for both eating disorder services and mental health services—especially in the north—but we must keep listening closely to deliver what matters most to families in the north, and currently these services are just too far away.

I have met with courageous young women with eating disorders, and I feel deeply for them. I have supported an employee in the north who has a daughter with an eating disorder and have seen the toll this has taken on their family, travelling back and forth to the Flinders Medical Centre to keep their daughter alive. I have heard the stories of parents having to monitor and sleep alongside their children all night.

I have lived with an eating disorder for nearly 40 years. Unfortunately, eating disorders are not an illness that people and families talk openly about, but people should so that we can see more plainly how significant this health issue is and listen to how families are struggling. We should talk more about the voices people like me struggle with every day related to our weight and what we wear. Who else in this house listens to these voices in their own heads in the morning when they get dressed? Who else here chooses to wear shapewear? Who buys stockings with control tops? Why do we do this?

For me, my eating disorder started in high school. A friend and I used to binge eat and then take laxatives. My parents discovered what I was doing when they accidentally came across the laxatives. My mother took me to the doctor, and it was agreed that I should eat Christmas pudding every day to put weight back on. I did this at the same time as purging in secret to keep weight off, and this continued all through the remainder of my high school years.

Because the underlying cause of the eating disorder was never looked at or addressed, this pattern of behaviour continued throughout the next 10 years until I started a family. Lucky that I was very committed to eating healthy while pregnant, so this was a healthy change for me. My guess now is that the eating disorder was a coping mechanism to deal with my childhood trauma. It was an aspect of my life I could control. It is also a way to achieve my ideal of a desirable body image. Nearly 40 years later, when I am really upset, I occasionally think of purging and then I talk myself out of this unhealthy action.

Right now, more than one million people in Australia are experiencing an eating disorder, which sadly has the highest mortality rate out of any mental illness. Females make up 64 per cent of those people, and local schools in my electorate are telling me that children as young as six are being referred to health services. In 2019, the Morrison and Marshall Liberal governments announced a new $7.1 million statewide eating disorder service at the Repat, which will provide a state-of-the-art base for statewide services.

This world-class integrated community eating disorder service will provide non-residential and residential day support for people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other specific eating disorders. I am pleased that we are going to deliver better services; however, it is important to understand and respond to the struggle of individuals and families right now. The report, Paying the Price, suggests that the social and economic cost of eating disorders to Australia, to South Australia, are substantial.

I would now like to bring the voices of my constituents and friends into parliament during this motion. Kylie is a mother of a 14-year-old-girl in my electorate. She says:

On behalf of all eating disorder sufferers and their families, we plead desperately for more support and services to help manage these life-threatening and highly prevalent mental illnesses.

Our daughter was diagnosed 2 years ago, then 12, with anorexia nervosa. A sudden and severe onset that led to near heart failure, a hospital admission, tube feeding and then finding myself in a full time caring role with limited support.

We have had 4 hospital admissions—hospital and our paediatrician have been amazing and saved our daughter's life, and we will be forever grateful. However, outside of this, we have been on our own during some very dark and desperate times with limited support options.

Our psychologist, when she could see treatment wasn't working, suggested we seek a therapist in Canada!

Our daughter was too young to be considered for the Statewide Eating Disorders Service and not weight restored so unable to access other forms of therapy.

I started my own Facebook support group which now has over 100 families on board and have to look outside SA to access my own support and recovery coach in Victoria. I have also found Eating Disorders Families Australia, a volunteer support organisation of Carers for Carers, who provide education for families so they are not alone in this long and exhausting journey.

Eating disorders are life-threatening, debilitating illnesses that deserve equal treatment to cancer. There is no clear treatment path when Option A fails and no treatment path at all for under 15s when Family Based Therapy isn't working at home.

My wish is to see a treatment centre like Wandi Nerida, Australia's first residential recovery centre for Australians with an disorder here in SA.

We also need access to more psychologists and psychiatrists (and specialised Eating Disorder support in the northern suburbs which to date I believe just doesn't exist).

Another statement from a mother, Angela Giacoumis:

As the mother of a daughter who has been battling to recover from an eating disorder for the last four years, Emily is one of 13 people from across Australia who was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to receiving life-saving treatment in Australia's first residential eating disorder recovery program at Wandi Nerida on the Sunshine Coast.

For the first time since Emily was diagnosed with an eating disorder Emily has hope recovery is possible. Having just returned from visiting with Emily over the weekend we are astounded to see the impact this residential program based on Carolyn Costin's 8 key to recovery model is having on our daughter. For the first time we have hope that recovery is possible. This is what all South Australians who are suffering from an eating disorder and their families need and deserve, they need you to hear them, they need you to understand that the current available resources and model of care offered right now in South Australia is not working.

My beautiful daughter tried to commit suicide in April and to see on the weekend smiling, calm and hopeful is amazing.

When Emily applied to participate in the Wandi Nerida program, we were told there was a waiting list of over 700 people, for us a miracle has happened, Emily was offered one of 13 beds.

My plea is simple, we urgently need more resources to support people and their carers suffering from an eating disorder, we urgently need a residential eating disorder recovery program like Wandi Nerida established in South Australia, to provide a new model of care.

From Graeme, another constituent and father:

I am keen to talk about a treatment centre out north. Something along the lines of the proposed dementia centre at Mount Gambier. I envisage 8 pods of 6 rooms with each pod offering different treatments depending on the demand. Much more like a pleasant hotel stay than a stark uninviting ward in the middle of a hospital.

A principle that is certainly missing from 4G is, is the need to offer a treatment which reframes the young person's relationship with food. They need to see that food is not the enemy, nor used to punish them (through their own thoughts or through strict meal regimes and hospital food) but is an enjoyable experience and one of the joys of life. If they have safe foods, then they should be encouraged to have them, and then supplement the nutrition with other sources of varied forms.

Food preparation in their own kitchens with a range of ingredients and locally sourced, even grown onsite under the guidance of expert dietitians well versed in eating disorders.

And from my constituent Laura:

My name is Laura Crook and I have suffered from an eating disorder for 16 years. I have exhausted the very few resources we have here in South Australia and am trying to get a bed in the new residential eating disorder facility in Queensland called Wandi Nerida.

One of those facilities here in SA would be extremely beneficial to not just myself but countless others suffering with an eating disorder. The 'best' and only resource we have here in SA is the 6 bed ward in Flinders hospital. However, having personally been admitted 7 times, I found that it doesn't suit each individual person's needs and just deals with putting a couple of kilos on and discharging the person with no follow up whatsoever. The follow up is one of the most important parts of eating disorder recovery.

The day programme in Brighton is another resource we have however like Flinders it's located in the south and very far to travel for many sufferers which can cause them a lot of stress which doesn't help their eating disorder.

The residential facility in Queensland, Wandi Nerida, is not a 'one size fits all' and this new facility deals with different types of psychology and resources etc that suits each person's individual needs that aid in their own personal recovery process. There is constant meal support and most importantly patient follow up after discharge.

Young people are now presenting with self-harm and eating disorders at higher rates than ever before. Joyce Tam, manager of Butterfly Foundation's national helpline, said:

We know that isolation, changes to food and exercise routines, uncertainty around changing restrictions, and a lack of social connection has placed immense pressure and added stress on those living with eating disorders and body image issues. This can often exacerbate symptoms, or even trigger disordered eating, thinking and behaviours. This is compounded by the increased challenges to accessing treatment, with both the public and private sectors struggling to meet demand.

Last year, contacts to Butterfly's webchat support service increased by 116 per cent. School services have seen a 150 per cent increase in demand since the beginning of 2021, reflecting the spike in students' eating disorder and body image issues that schools are identifying. Belinda Caldwell, CEO of Eating Disorders Victoria, said:

Diet culture is currently prolific, with unhelpful terms such as 'COVID-kilos' being coined, and we must begin to dismantle its harmful beliefs, messages and practices. Being bombarded by this type of messaging is not helping anyone mentally, emotionally or physically right now.

With suicide 31 times more likely for people with eating disorders, Butterfly CEO, Kevin Barrow, noted:

Eating disorders are severe and enduring mental illnesses that can be compounded by serious physical complications. It's the complex nature of these illnesses that cause them to have one of the highest mortality rates of all mental illnesses.

Thank you to the carers, families and people with lived experience who are playing the most important role in people's care, support and recovery when people have an eating disorder. Thank you for sharing your views with me.

If you know of someone who is in crisis, please call the police on 000. Free and confidential support and tools are available from the Butterfly Foundation website or the National Helpline on 1800 334 673. In South Australia, family and carers can contact SEDS, a specialised mental health service for all South Australians at SA Health, to discuss how to help a person who may have an eating disorder. Eating Disorders Families Australia have a website and support, educate and empower families affected by an eating disorder.

I urge all parents who might listen to this speech today to take note of the messages coming through to us from social media about body image. On the weekend, I watched the movie Grease with my 11-year-old son, and he asked me why Sandy was so skinny. I thanked him for his question, as I had always viewed her as having the ideal body shape and I have tried to achieve the same. I look forward to Taryn Brumfitt's new movie and applaud her work and close with her motto: 'My body is not an ornament; it is the vehicle to my dreams.'

Thank you for the opportunity to highlight this important issue, and I will continue to advocate for better health services in South Australia. The Marshall Liberal government is committed to ensuring that people with eating disorders and their families can get the right help quickly.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (12:29): I start my contribution by introducing a proposed amendment to the motion. I move:

Delete paragraph (b) and insert in lieu thereof:

(b) expresses concern regarding the significant delays and red tape delaying progress on the Statewide Paediatric Eating Disorder Service;

After paragraph (c) insert:

(d) notes with alarm the Liberal government's failed commitment and red tape delaying progress to build a Statewide Eating Disorder Service.

First, I thank the member for King for her contribution. I am sure all members' thoughts are with her and her family in terms of what she has outlined in terms of difficulties faced in what is an awful area in terms of eating disorders which are faced by many South Australians.

This is a very difficult area. This is an area in which many of us will know friends and family members who have been impacted by eating disorders. Many of us in this house will have met constituents and their family members have been impacted by eating disorders. It is something where we need to do more to improve support both for children and older people impacted by eating disorders in our community.

People living with eating disorders experience the highest morbidity rate of all mental health problems. It is sadly one of the deadliest mental health illnesses that we have. Anorexia nervosa has one of the lengthiest recoveries, with many failing to fully recover from the illness. Effectiveness of treatments is limited due to the need for extensive long-term treatment. These treatment efforts become even less effective when there are not adequate services to begin with.

It is important to discuss the state that we are in in terms of these services that are available in South Australia at the moment because this is an area where the government has made commitments to improve the situation for people suffering from eating disorders, and I am sure everyone would say that that is welcome, but the reality has not been matched by the promise.

The promise has been big but the delivery has been poor. Sadly, I have been contacted by many people who are constituents or who are impacted, but also by many clinicians in the system who are very concerned about the lack of progress that we have seen in terms of addressing both paediatric eating disorders and adult eating disorder services.

The government, in its election promises, promised that there would be a paediatric eating disorder service. Minister Stephen Wade reiterated in 2018 that it would be a $250,000 investment that year, growing to $1 million per annum from 2019-2020, to ensure children experiencing eating disorders were able to access specialist treatment. Unfortunately, since 2018, we have not seen this service develop. We have not seen that funding that was promised to go into providing support for people actually delivering anything on the ground whatsoever to help children and their families who are going through this awful situation.

What has happened is that there has been a massive, bureaucratic squabble going on in SA Health about how this should be run, who should be managing what, what age of children and adults should go where, who should look after them, where the services should be, and this has been going on for year after year after year. Now we are here on the eve of the election and the government's motion—which, obviously as governments do, praises itself—falls a bit flat when we do not see these services, which were promised to be starting to be delivered at least two years ago, actually delivering anything on the ground.

It is particularly fraught when you look at what has happened to the paediatric eating disorder service. There has been a series of FOI documents that have been released that detail the back and forth that has been going on between the Department for Health and Wellbeing, the Women's and Children's Health Network and the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, raising their different points of view and concerns about how this service should have been run over the past few years. It has now reached the point where they have finally worked out how this is going to be arranged only this year, and they are going to have a structure which is basically split now in three.

The Women's and Children's Health Network will have clinical governance of outpatient services for children under 15. The Southern Adelaide Local Health Network will have governance of outpatient services for over 18, but because there could be no agreement on 15 to 18 year olds, there will be a new integrated governance of the service delivery for patients who are 15 to 18 year olds. This has raised significant concern from a number of people who were involved in putting together the plans for this new service.

Very sadly, Mario Corena lost his daughter to suicide five years ago after a lengthy battle with eating disorders. He sat on the governance committee and also the advisory group in relation to the model of care and he spoke to the media earlier this year about these proposals. He said that the governance structure had been botched and he was very concerned about the integrated governance of a new 15 to 18-year-old cohort, as follows:

It's made it more complicated than it should be. It was bad enough before and now they have made it even more confusing. Where do the 15 to 18 year olds go? Do they go to the WCHN? Do they go to SALHN? Where do they go? And who's going to be held accountable for the 15 to 18 year olds?

He said it was not the one-stop shop families had been calling for. That is a very significant concern raised by a family member—a consumer. I note that in the motion itself part (c) says that the government should ensure the service is co-designed with lived experience. Clearly, that has not happened on this occasion. We have family members with lived experience of their children having eating disorders coming out and saying these sorts of concerns. At the time, InDaily was also contacted by a woman who raised concerns about the treatment that her sister was being provided, and said:

…we know from experience that there may be unforeseen delays to factor in. We can't afford to wait 18 months. When the people with an eating disorder finally admit they have an eating disorder, there's not enough help for them. I want the government to really realise how serious this mental illness is. It's one of the deadliest mental illnesses.

If you do not take their word for it, how about an international expert? How about an international expert I think many people in this house will know and who is very well known to those opposite? This is Professor Tracey Wade whom I have great respect for. She also happens to be the wife of the health minister, Stephen Wade. She has raised concerns about what the government is doing in this area and she is an international expert in eating disorders, particularly for children.

In an article in InDaily earlier this year, titled 'Expert voices concerns about new paediatric eating disorder service', Professor Tracey Wade said:

The input of the consumer was not incorporated well enough into the final model of care. Their major plea was for an integrated service that tried to prevent the problems of transition from one service to another—and that in eating disorders is particularly from an adolescent to an adult service—that's where people can relapse or get lost to the system.

So when you look at the model of care which has three components to it, it seems to have actually not just ignored that request but actually moved in an almost opposite direction.

Wade said the new structure was 'potentially confusing'.

I'm having trouble understanding the shared arrangements and I think probably SA Health employees would similarly still not be quite clear on how it's meant to work.

…we don't have much time for messing around.

It really needs an incredibly integrated and tight approach to make sure that there is no opening for that confusion…

To ignore the fairly central message that was coming from consumers is really counter to what the major medical and health bodies are doing now in Australia.

So we even have an international expert, who happens to be the wife of the health minister, raising concerns about this service. It is an important area. It needs to be addressed, but the government needs to listen to the clinicians and the consumers who have been raising concerns and act to make sure that they can meet their promise to help these people who are facing these particularly difficult eating disorders.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (12:39): May I start by thanking the member for King for raising this issue. I know that she has been a very strong campaigner for women and girls in particular and on this particular issue. There is no doubt that there would not be a member in this place who would not have had some direct experience, either through their children's friends or with their children themselves who may have suffered from eating disorders, and we can see how cruel that is.

That is why it is quite distressing to hear that the member for Kaurna's first response to this motion is to bring in politics. We listened to 10 minutes of ranting from the member for Kaurna with the blame game. May I remind the member for Kaurna that the Labor Party was in office for 16 years with not a single policy to address this issue. His only contribution to this debate this afternoon is to play politics.

Mr Picton: Are you going to talk about the issue or are you going to play politics? You are the one playing politics.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: The member for Kaurna—

Mr Picton: You can't resist. Are you going to start talking about the shoppies union as well?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Just like his brother, the designer of the 'You can't trust Habib' brochure.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Just like his brother, signed sealed and delivered by the Pictons.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Kaurna rises on a point of order.

Mr PICTON: Point of order: they are personal reflections, and I think it is incredibly disrespectful to the issue for the member to be talking about completely irrelevant political issues. He should focus on the people who need assistance.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order. I believe a personal reflection was made. Minister, you have made your point at the outset. I will ask you to speak to the motion now.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Of course, we do need to understand that there is a government policy and a process in place to deal with this issue, completely void of the Labor Party's 16 years in office. These amendments put by the Labor Party are not worth the paper they are written on because they do nothing to support those who are suffering from eating disorders—nothing whatsoever to support them; nothing at all—whereas the member for King, as she always does, came to this place with this motion in a very constructive manner. She wants an outcome. She wants to work with every member in this parliament in order to get that outcome.

The member for King is an extremely strong advocate. She delivers for her electorate, but beyond that, she delivers for people around the state of South Australia. Through her advocacy, through her very strong connections and her relationships within her electorate, which is representative of so many South Australians beyond the boundaries of the seat of King, we understand what issues are very important to South Australia. The member for King has definitely identified those important issues many, many times and this is just another example of doing that.

We know that eating disorders are very complex. They can sometimes take quite some time to be identified. There are many parents who may not be aware of a child, who is more than two times out of three a girl, who may very well have an eating disorder, not understanding why they are losing weight and not understanding the environment that might be causing them to feel that they need to behave in this way to please others, for example. That is just one example as to why somebody may have an eating disorder.

We certainly do not support the politics of these amendments that were introduced by the member for Kaurna, but we certainly do support the member for King's motion and I encourage the house to be constructive on this issue, to be respectful on this issue and to support the motion as presented by the member for King.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (12:44): I, too, rise to speak about this difficult and very important issue that so many young people and their families experience, to rightly call out some of the shortfalls of this government, to establish appropriate services for people experiencing eating disorders and also to support the member for Kaurna's amendment, which absolutely speaks to what is needed. In saying that, I also speak of my support for the member for Kaurna's commitment to this issue and his advocacy around this issue over a long period of time.

I welcome a debate in this house about what is needed to provide support to those experiencing eating disorders, for us to honestly explore what the shortfalls are and to discuss a vision and what actions are needed to create something better. I thank the member for King for her heartfelt contribution to this debate and for bringing this motion to the house. I thank her also for bringing to the house's attention the plight of many of her constituents, and I thank them also for courageously sharing their stories. I certainly wish the member for King, and those she spoke about, the very best in their journey around this issue.

What I think we can all agree on in this house is that we do not need lines in motions that may go to any hint of self-congratulation, sadly not supported by substance or fact. What we need is vision, leadership and real action on this issue. Eating disorders, as has been canvassed, have absolutely devastating consequences for those experiencing them, and their families and other loved ones. I have seen and heard heartbreaking examples of young people affected by eating disorders and the devastating long-term impact that they have on them, their parents, siblings and others close to them.

I know of families who have found it incredibly hard to navigate the health system, to find the right services and supports for the person they love who is experiencing and grappling with this extraordinarily complex condition. People living with eating disorders are experiencing amongst the gravest types of mental illnesses. Conditions such as anorexia have absolutely debilitating impacts on those affected and recovery is too often slow and not guaranteed, with too many lost as a result of this condition.

What is also debilitating is that treatment is often required over protracted periods, and specialist services in this state are limited. It is vital that we have services designed to address the many complex types of eating disorders and a system that fully supports young people at what is an extremely traumatic and dangerous time in their lives, and during what can be a very long journey.

I recently met with a mother whose daughter is experiencing an eating disorder. This lovely mum, her daughter and her wider family feel, and have been, let down by the system and the level of medical care they received for their loved one. After being admitted to hospital for an eating disorder and depression, this young woman and her family were extremely disappointed and worried about a lack of any associated follow-up or continued support following discharge.

Whilst their former GP was highly knowledgeable, dedicated, efficient and compassionate in understanding what this young woman and her family needed—and was thankfully prepared to wholeheartedly advocate for appropriate services for her—he has since retired.

Following a recent admission to Flinders Medical Centre and subsequent discharge, the young woman, sadly, continued to experience suicidal ideations. Her family is now absolutely desperate for support and are rightly adamant that this should have been arranged prior to her discharge; instead, they have been left feeling alone and finding it difficult to cope. It is absolutely heartbreaking, indeed.

As the weeks and months slip by, this young women continues to struggle to access appropriate long-term services and support, support that is steeped in deep understanding of her complex condition, support that will empower her to meaningfully address her eating disorder and depression, and support that will mean her family, who are becoming increasingly desperate for assistance, can feel confident about what they can access with and for her, and stop feeling utterly alone.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Instead of platitudes, this government must do so much better for these individuals and their families. The ongoing delays in establishing the statewide paediatric eating disorder service, the bureaucratic wrangling and infighting and inability of the government to listen to and amplify the voices of those who live with these conditions, is threatening to derail what is a much-needed service for South Australians affected by eating disorders, as are the ongoing delays to the statewide eating disorder service.

Unfortunately, whilst families like the one I have described suffer, the government has sat on its hands as the Women's and Children's Health Network and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network slug it out over who should provide the service. Meanwhile, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (SA Branch) chairperson, Dr Paul Furst, told The Advertiser in April 'the failure to resolve the governance issues and model of care has seen a belated recruitment of less than two clinicians'. These views and growing frustration are widely shared by stakeholders, advocates, carers and people experiencing eating disorders, as well as SA Health's own advisory group, which expressed concerns about the proposed model.

As the member for Kaurna alluded to earlier this year, Professor Tracey Wade, a distinguished expert in this field, also raised a number of concerns about the new service, including that it was not the properly integrated model that consumers were needing and demanding. In March this year, Professor Wade told InDaily the model of care being established:

…doesn't seem to have promoted integration, it seems to have moved away from it, and given that integration was the consumer's main request, then it just appears to me that the consumer voice on this was not heard.

She also said:

So when you look at the model of care, which has three components to it, it seems to have actually not just ignored that request but actually moved in an almost opposite direction.

These delays and the infighting engulfing these two crucial services are destructive. They require strong, visionary leadership from this government and its senior health bureaucrats, not platitudes.

At the heart of this issue are struggling young people, so often women and their families. It is they who are at the heart of the member for Kaurna's amendment. Again, I thank the member for King for her genuine heartfelt words today, and call on her as the mover to back up those words and to demonstrate her support for the young people and families we have both spoken about and who we support by supporting this amendment.

In closing, I thank the family I have spoken about today and others who have shared their painful ongoing stories with me. I place on record my commitment to continuing to do what I can to amplify their voices so that real action will be taken.

Mr MURRAY (Davenport) (12:53): I rise with some reluctance to seek to address this issue. I have a particular and quite broad experience with no less than three family members who have suffered from eating disorders. I do not propose to dwell a great deal on the argy-bargy, as it were, as to how this amendment may or may not be worded, but I do want to take the opportunity to remind all of us of the opportunity we have.

I listened intently and respectfully to the contribution of the member for Kaurna, and similarly to the member for Reynell. I want to assure the house and, through this opportunity, my community, that I will hold both my own government, and the commitments we have made in the lead-up to the last election so far as this commitment is concerned, to account. I will hold the government to account, and I will also look forward to some commensurate, concrete actions to address what is a serious and quite frightening disease.

Before I move any further, can I just reiterate the congratulations on the enormous mental strength shown by the member for King, sharing her story here today. As I said, I do not propose, because I am at heart a bit of a softy, to dwell on any detail, but I will point out that I have particular and very acute knowledge of how bewildering and frightening these diseases can be.

An excerpt from the federal Department of Health website tells us—we are talking about anorexia here—that it has the highest death rate of all mental illnesses. Death from physical causes is five times that expected in the age group, and death by suicide is 32 times that expected for an age group. It typically manifests itself in young women, with only one in 10 of the sufferers being male.

The Marshall Liberal government has a commitment to provide $3.3 million in funding over four years for the provision of this service. I would make the point that any sort of assistance for the sufferers of these eating disorders is to be commended, and in particular I would make the point, as I said earlier, that I will look forward to holding both of the major parties to account—mine and that of those opposite—as we move into an election cycle. I commend the fact that our government has provided these funds.

I have had some correspondence from a constituent, and I think this is a reminder. As I said, I do not propose to concern myself, frankly, with the minutiae of what this motion says or seeks to say, other than to urge, to plead with, both sides of politics to provide funding and practical assistance for these people. A young lady sent me this almost exactly a year ago. It is a good news story. This is a reminder for all of us:

Dear Mr Murray…

The two of us have never personally met, but I wanted to share my sincere gratitude towards you. Early last year. Early last year you were contacted by my father about anti-bullying laws, where he told you a bit about my story and my struggles with anorexia and the way my classmates treated me because of it…

We talked, which, she says, inspired her:

I want to say thank you for the kind gestures you extended to me and my family, and for letting me know that your office would be a safe space if I ever need one...

I just wanted to let you know that as of two weeks ago, I am officially recovered from Anorexia. Once again, thank you so much for your help. Having you as an ally has [been great]…Knowing that it does get better was honestly amazing.

So wherever the support comes from, it is important. The risk, if these people and their families do not get support, is enormous. So regardless of the politics I urge all members of both parties to provide concrete, tangible, far-sighted and, more particularly, strategic, focused delivery of the assistance that these diseases warrant and that the people that suffer from them, including their families, deserve.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (12:59): I thank the carers and people with eating disorders who have contributed to my speech today with their heartbreaking stories. I thank all members for their contributions and support, noting especially the member for Unley, the member for Davenport, the member for Reynell and the member for Kaurna. Thank you very much for speaking on this important topic.

The Marshall Liberal government are committed to ensuring people with eating disorders and their families can get the right help, and I look forward to the lived experience of people in South Australia being included in the design as we move forward. I note that we are building a new service at the Repat, which those opposite tried to sell, and that is the key reason I would not support the amendment.

Amendment negatived; motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 until 14:00.