HeartKids

Mrs PEARCE (King) (16:35): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on any government investment in services for children impacted by heart disease and their families?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (16:36): I thank the member for King for her question, and for her very strong interest in terms of children affected by heart disease and her support of HeartKids. On the weekend, in her local electorate, both her and the member for Newland participated in the superheroes day, supporting HeartKids—not for the first time as well—and I think even in previous years maybe the Minister for Education may have dressed up as a superhero as well, under his suit no doubt at any time.

HeartKids is an incredible organisation. It works across Australia to provide support for families and for children who have been affected by heart disease. Sadly, we know this affects far too many families across Australia and across South Australia. It can be a lifelong condition, and obviously long-term support is required. Many of those families will require surgery, which for South Australian children would have to be completed by travelling to Melbourne to undertake that surgery which therefore means a significant amount of support is provided for those families through HeartKids.

It was about three or four years ago that HeartKids raised with me their concerns in terms of the demand that they were seeing and not being able to meet it through their charitable donations, and that they had raised a concern with the then minister, Minister Wade, asking for funding to be able to help families who are in this situation. That funding was denied by the previous government and they were told that there was no funding available through the significant state budget to be able to help HeartKids and the work that they do.

We took a different approach, and we took to the state election a plan to invest $1 million across four years in expanding the work that HeartKids does. I am happy to provide information to the house on what has happened since then, because HeartKids have now been able to expand their work in terms of providing, now mental health support—so, providing essential mental health services to children and families dealing with the challenges of congenital heart disease—and also in terms of early childhood intervention, ensuring early detection and intervention to improve health care outcomes and quality of life for affected children.

I was lucky enough to meet one of the occupational therapists who is involved in that program through HeartKids. Very importantly, as well, through regional support: extending vital resources and support to families in regional and remote areas, ensuring that no child is left without the care that they need no matter where they live in South Australia.

This is amazing work that HeartKids is doing, and we are the only state government in the country who is providing support to HeartKids to do this work. They regard this as the model exemplar of what they are capable of doing. They are now putting similar plans forward to other states and territories around the country to do that.

Today we had a delegation of HeartKids staff, families and supporters who we hosted here in parliament. I was very delighted that many members on this side of the house were able to be there, as well as the Hon. Connie Bonaros and the Hon. Tammy Franks. Unfortunately, no Liberal members of parliament were able to attend the function. It was amazing to hear from a number of the families in terms of the work that has been done.

In my remaining time, I will highlight Belinda's story. Belinda is a heart mum who spoke about her family's gratitude for the service HeartKids has been able to provide her little girl, Isabella. We heard about the power of play to help process different emotions, impacting positively on mental health for those kids. The family had to stay in Melbourne where there were three surgeries within four weeks. This reduced her immune system and meant the family was in lockdown over winter. Isabella had been able to meet with other kids through the program for play through HeartKids, enabling parents to gather and chat and for their kids to play, which is an excellent sign of the work that was done.