Multiple Birth Awareness Week

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (15:07): I rise today to speak about Multiple Birth Awareness Week, which runs between 19 and 26 March each year. During that week, on 24 March, it is actually my twin sisters' birthday. My identical twin sisters turn 23 this Friday, and, in acknowledging multiple births in the house, I would also like to wish them a happy birthday and a happy Multiple Birth Awareness Week.

As I have mentioned already, there are a number of multiple births in my family, both fraternal and identical. My great-grandmother Mary was a twin to her brother Ted, and, in a family tree I received at a reunion last week, I found that there are at least another two sets of twins, making four sets of twins just on my dad's side.

It is important to recognise twins when talking about multiple births and multiple-birth awareness, and that is because often, in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of governments around the world, twins are discounted as multiple births, despite accounting for about 90 per cent of multiple-birth pregnancies. In fact, twins occur in one in 80 pregnancies in Australia; they are incredibly common. I know that on the government side alone we have two sets of parents of twins. There may be others on the opposition side that I am not aware of.

Of course, as of last year, we actually have a parent of triplets as part of our team in the newly elected federal member for Boothby. Triplets are much less common, with an even higher degree of risk, as are higher order multiple births as well.

Today, I would like to specifically acknowledge the plight of multiple-birth mums, both financially and emotionally. In addition to the twins in my family and the twins in my broader Labor family, two of my dear friends have young sets of identical twin girls, and I have been very privileged to watch, to varying degrees, those little girls grow up and their fierce mums battle the challenges that come with raising young twins and also other toddlers at home at the same time.

However, I have also seen the difference for multiple mums in particular. My friends Samantha and Sarah are absolute powerhouses, both well accustomed to the question, 'How do you do it?' As I mentioned before, my sisters were born on the 24^th. My dad used to joke that on the 24^th we had received 'two for the price of one', referring to double the love and the joy that comes with a twin birth. Twins, however, are two for the price of two, and often treated for the price of one.

I take a minute to mention, as some may be amused, or those with young kids might know, The Twins Song, made famous by the Wiggles in the last few years, after Lachie Wiggle had twin girls of his own. The lyrics 'Double happy, double nappy' are familiar to multiple families everywhere, noting that in addition to the joy, there is the physical, emotional and financial toll of double the care and responsibilities and further for higher order multiple births.

Recently, the Multiple Birth Association of Australia released a report investigating the support needs of multiple families, acknowledging that by Centrelink standards, twins are not considered to be multiples, despite the fact that twins are five times more expensive than a singleton birth and triplets 13 times more expensive. I do use the term 'singleton'. Many are not aware of that; that is the name for a singular birth and is the nickname that my twin sisters still give me—they call me their singleton big sister.

Australia is very much falling behind when it comes to support for multiple families. Although these changes are federal and very much beyond our scope here, I would like to acknowledge the cost to multiple parents at varying levels. Again, I know that the Multiple Birth Association has met in the federal parliament this week, and I know that the federal government is listening to those concerns.

I would like to single out federal Minister Anika Wells, who, exactly a year ago today, gave a speech to the federal parliament holding in arms her twin boys—an historic occasion for twin parents, really highlighting the challenges faced by multiple mums. I know we have a fierce advocate in the federal parliament in Minister Wells and also, as a triplet mum, as I mentioned before, the newly elected member for Boothby.

Here in SA, we are supported by the Multiple Birth Association of SA, which, alongside the City of Unley, and Rotary Club of Unley, are putting on the SA Multiple Birth Festival in a few weeks' time. I remember in years gone by, my sisters flying to Melbourne for the twin festival and just how excited they were.

The Multiple Birth Association is a great support to multiple parents in SA and in recent years the Women's and Children's Health Network has funded the Home Help Service, which provides professional assistance at home to eligible multiple birth families. I would just like to quickly acknowledge the role that those multiple birth mums play. I value you, I see the toll that you take and I am happy to support your cause in the house today.