Motions

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (10:49): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that 15 October 2024 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day;

(b) acknowledges this is a special day where families and their supporters remember the little ones gone too soon; and

(c) thanks all the health workers and support services that provide care and support to the families impacted by infant loss.

Today I would like to speak to the house about pregnancy and infant loss awareness, a topic on which we can never, ever discount the value of speaking. October each year is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month with a specific focus on 15 October, a day to recognise the babies held only in our hearts. In October, we encourage families to break their silence and speak up, sharing their stories of pregnancy and infant loss, no matter how stigmatised and how difficult.

Every year, 110,000 Australians have a miscarriage and over 2,000 babies are born still. Another 600 lose their baby in the first 28 days after birth. I believe that in this place it is of critical importance to speak up and speak proud about the babies lost and loved. For me, this is incredibly personal, as 24 years have gone by but my family still mourns the loss of my baby brother Benjamin, who was born awake at 24 weeks' gestation but passed soon after. Our entire lives have very much been shaped by the gravity of this loss. The impact that someone so small has had on my life can never be discounted. I continue to say his name in this place because I feel that I have to and because I owe it to him, as his big sister, to continually acknowledge the footprints that he left in our lives.

We owe it collectively to all the babies who should have learned to ride a bike, who should have learned to read, who should have gone to school, who should have celebrated Christmases and 21^st birthdays and who may have had the chance later to have babies of their own. The figure is too high. Too many parents and sisters and brothers and grandparents and friends continue to grieve those babies every Christmas, every birthday, every Mother's Day and every Father's Day for the rest of time.

There is no sadder nor more quiet place than the baby cemetery that I visit each year on Mother's Day, and there is nothing that breaks my heart more than seeing year upon year, in a very Adelaide fashion, more names of families I know in that cemetery mourning babies, often in silence. I went through life loving and knowing my baby brother, as I know so many older brothers and sisters have, and I will always do what I can to break that silence for him and for the parents who I know often are not able to.

I would like to acknowledge the work of some wonderful people in the fight to not only speak up about these babies but to educate expecting parents about risks during pregnancy. Red Nose Australia, as many would know, is Australia's leading authority on safer pregnancy advice and bereavement support to those affected by infant loss. Here in South Australia, we have the incredible Red Tree Foundation, the South Australian arm raising funds and providing support to families impacted by that loss as well.

In Australia, we have seen an 80 per cent reduction in SIDS since 1989, which is huge. That research has done so much for so many families. In 2020, only 25 babies died from SIDS across the country—which, although still absolutely devastating, is significantly less than in years gone by. I would also like to acknowledge the passing of my older cousin, who died from SIDS some years ago.

I would also like to acknowledge in the federal space the fierce, tireless work of former Senator and Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, in this space. Kristina has been tireless in her fight for better outcomes after losing her own daughter to stillbirth in 1999. Because of her, the Senate established the Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education to inquire and report on the future of research and education here in Australia. We know that there is more to do in that space, particularly in the states, and I will continue to fight for better outcomes at a state government level.

I would also, at the South Australian level, like to acknowledge the wonderful work of Still Aware, Australia's first stillbirth awareness charity. Still Aware, too, was created in response to a lost baby, Alfie. Alfie was born to term and born still without reason, like so many other stillbirths. Alfie's parents got together to form Still Aware in her memory to change the conversation about stillbirth, and they continue to raise awareness and provide education to expectant parents.

I am so incredibly warmed by the amazing work of Still Aware in South Australia and would like to call out the team at Still Aware who are currently preparing for their 10-year anniversary gala next week, which I will be attending and speaking at alongside former Senator Kristina Keneally. That is an incredible opportunity to raise funds for much-needed stillbirth awareness and education here in South Australia.

I would also like to acknowledge Tracey Clark, an individual from Still Aware, who just yesterday received the Westfield Local Hero award, again acknowledging her work in this incredible space. Still Aware have put together these brilliant booklets called Your Pregnancy, educating expectant mothers about baby's movements, including frequency of those movements and sleep patterns. They also do something that is incredibly important and discuss culturally specific pregnancy advice as well. We know, unfortunately, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums have much higher rates of stillbirth and infant mortality than other Australians, and Still Aware are actively seeking to educate in a culturally safe and accessible way for those mums and, of course, the broader communities that help bring babies into the world.

Last night, as I always do, I joined in the Wave of Light, which is a moment to light a candle at home with other bereaved families and friends all over the world in memory of babies lost and loved. Today in this place I acknowledge them again, as I always will. To parents and families and loved ones of lost babies, I say this: I see you, my family continues to grieve with you, and I value the lives of your babies lost.

Ms PRATT (Frome) (10:55): I want to send my heartfelt recognition across the chamber to the member who has brought this motion. I thank her very much for bringing awareness to the chamber today about this important day that we must recognise. She gave very personal reflections that are difficult not only to deliver but I think sometimes also to hear, but certainly we want to recognise those babies that were loved and lost.

I am not the only speaker for the opposition today, and I am pleased to hear that. The opposition supports this motion, where we recognise that 15 October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. It is a day to support the thousands of families who are affected by the loss of a baby and to help them honour and celebrate the babies that they have lost. Remembrance events are held in each state, and that ensures that every family has an opportunity to choose to participate where they feel they can.

On 15 October, families worldwide commemorate Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, a day that honours the lives lost and helps to raise awareness about pregnancy loss. It is a subject that is difficult to discuss and often overlooked. This day acknowledges the pain, the trauma, the distress, the anxiety, the grief of those affected and promotes hope and understanding and, hopefully, an opportunity and platform for discourse so that more mothers, fathers and families feel that they can have these conversations.

In Australia an estimated one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage every year, and approximately 3,000 babies die from causes such as stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). According to federal government data, up to 110,000 Australian women will experience a miscarriage each year. It is stating the obvious to say that this leaves not just a traumatic and lasting toll on their physical body but a mental toll as well, especially for the 1 to 2 per cent of women who tragically have three or more miscarriages. According to recent reports, 53 per cent of expectant and new mothers have experienced a loss. This just emphasises how all parents, including those who suffer from miscarriages, stillbirth or neonatal death, do need easily accessible support.

I would like to make mention at this point of a very special lady called Karen O'Brien, who made the trek all the way to Burra to meet with me as the new member for Frome. She was representing The Compassionate Friends of South Australia. I cannot capture better than they do the purpose of their organisation. I will just read briefly from their own website:

When a son or daughter dies, no matter what their age or the cause of death, grief lasts for longer than society in general recognises. The death of your child is an unacceptable tragedy, and it can take a long time before you regain any sense of normality in your life.

Karen is an extraordinary person who represents one of many organisations dedicated to supporting mums and dads, expectant parents and individuals through this traumatic time. Women who experience miscarriage commonly report a lack of information, poor access to follow-up care and limited referral to counselling or other services. It is worth noting that there has been federal funding of $9½ million dollars recently allocated to bereavement support for women and families who suffer miscarriage and to address some of those data gaps.

Red Nose Australia is Australia's leading authority on safe sleep and safer pregnancy advice, as well as bereavement support for anyone affected by the loss of pregnancy, stillbirth or the death of a baby or child. In 2020, Red Nose merged operations with Sands Australia to create Australia's leading organisation dedicated to saving little lives through research, education and support services for families who are impacted by the death of a baby or a child during pregnancy, birth, infancy or early childhood. The Red Nose Back to Sleep campaign, which has resulted in an 80 per cent reduction in SIDS in Australia, is one of Australia's most successful public health programs.

I, too, thank all those health and support workers and services that provide care and support to families impacted by infant loss. Let us keep in mind that every loss matters on this Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Increasing awareness about miscarriage not only pays tribute to those we have lost but also aids grieving parents on their road to recovery.

May we turn sorrow into optimism by creating a compassionate and understanding atmosphere, an environment where people can speak about this freely and get the support they need. By working together, we can give voice to personal stories and create a supportive network for those dealing with the intense difficulties associated with pregnancy and child loss. I support the motion.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (11:02): I thank the member for Newland for bringing this motion to the house. I felt that I should speak about my mother's experience. She is a mother of five boys but her firstborn, Nicholas, born in March 1961, died after 32 days. He was born with spina bifida. I know that she still thinks about him to this very day. He would have obviously been my eldest brother had he survived. In those days, of course, the advice that my mother received was, 'That's it. You have had one with spina bifida, you won't have anymore,' and we know that the evidence now is that if you have a child born with spina bifida, it is likely that more will be born with it, so we are very lucky that the four of us were born without that ailment.

Even though he was only 32 days old, I know from conversations I have had with my mother how much she loved him and how much she still misses him today. I think we cannot underestimate the impact that a loss of an infant has on a family. I can remember when I first learnt about it, when I first started school, and my mother explained to me that I did have an older brother who was no longer with us, how upset I was to learn that that had happened in our family.

We are talking about 65 years ago when my mother, as a 21 year old, had this experience. There simply was not the empathy and the support that there is now. I know that those workers in the support services provide enormous support. I am sure that if they were there when my mother went through this experience all those years ago that it may very well have been a slightly easier process for her to manage through her life.

You learn so much about colleagues in this place during private members' motions because people do reflect very much on personal experiences during their private member's speeches. We are, of course, a sample size, if you like, of the general population and the fact that we know there are two people in this parliament who would have had an additional sibling if it was not for the death of an infant soon after birth shows how prevalent that would be in the community. I know the member for Frome has gone through some of those statistics and figures. It is a sombre motion and a time to think of not just those directly involved but family members who were there to support that mother and direct family at the time as well. We should also acknowledge them. On that basis, I commend the motion to the house.

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (11:05): I do not have a need to speak further but I would like to thank both the member for Frome and the member for Unley for their contributions. Again, it is not the sort of thing that is often talked about, but I do have a firm belief that the more individuals like ourselves talk about events like that in our own lives in a place like this one of such significance, it hopefully does at least a small bit to open up that conversation for people in the broader public.

I do know that having those conversations and speaking out, particularly as individuals grieve and process the somewhat traumatic experiences of the loss of their little ones, can actually make a really huge difference in terms of accessing supports. I do want to thank the other two members for their contributions and, of course, acknowledge again the loss and the contributions of those little lives that have been lost by so many here, particularly in South Australia.

Motion carried.