Endometriosis Awareness Month

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (12:09): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that March is Endometriosis Awareness Month;

(b) encourages the community to show their support for all who suffer from this invisible illness by wearing yellow throughout the month;

(c) recognises that this is a common disease that impacts more than 11 per cent of Australian women, girls and those who are gender diverse, and that figure is likely to be much higher given it takes on average 6.5 years to get a diagnosis; and

(d) thanks the members of the South Australian Select Committee on Endometriosis, including the parliamentary staff who spent much of 2024 inquiring and learning about the impact of endometriosis, current research and practice.

Today we take a moment to acknowledge a disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people in Australia and millions worldwide but often goes unseen, and that is endometriosis. I have spoken about endometriosis many times before in this place. I moved a motion to establish a select committee to inquire into the effect endometriosis has on its sufferers, and I am an endo warrior myself. Our committee has worked hard in what has sometimes been an emotional journey, and this afternoon we will table our report.

March is dedicated to raising awareness about endometriosis, which we know has a real impact on Australian women—14 per cent of Australian women, girls and those who are gender diverse. While this may sound like a significant number, the reality is this is likely much higher because it takes such a long time to get a diagnosis—sometimes 6.5 years—and for many that road is fraught with uncertainty, frustration and often feelings of isolation and helplessness as they wait to get a diagnosis. The symptoms are invisible, yet they cause intense physical pain and emotional distress and can have a profound impact on every part of a person's life.

Endometriosis is often misunderstood. It is not just bad cramps or a heavy period; it is a chronic and often debilitating condition where tissues, similar to the lining of the uterus, grow outside it, leading to inflammation, pain and, in some cases, infertility. For those who live with it, it is invisible, hidden from the world yet constantly present, affecting their day-to-day life. Whilst it is hidden—although, if you know someone well enough you will detect that they are going through their monthly pain cycle—to a passerby they look normal, but you might know.

It may be hard for bystanders to recognise or accept that someone can look fine but on the inside they are feeling torn apart. But I can speak from personal experience: it is the worst pain outside of contractions that you will ever feel. Worse, it can be monthly and every month you know it is coming; there is no avoiding it. For some, there is no break and for many it is life-changing.

Recently, I was disgusted and disappointed to learn of comments made by radio host Mr Marty Sheargold in February who claimed endometriosis was made up. He said:

…God, don't ladies carry on. Jesus Christ, there is no end of it. Honestly, endometriosis, and this is controversial…

His fellow host tried to cut him off, but he continued:

No, I'm going to say it. It's controversial, it's made up.

I invite him to feel what women feel: that your insides are being torn out bit by bit. The impact of your mental and physical health, the exhaustion, the helplessness you feel when medication does not even hit the sides—Marty, you are welcome to try it. However, I doubt it is something that you would be able to deal with. It is people like you who have caused this condition to be spoken about only in private, and it is why the science has only now started to unfold into its causes and treatments.

I do not think there is possibly a way to artificially create what a week of endometriosis pain and suffering feels like, but, again, you would not cope. You might think it is a laughing matter, and women will laugh, but that is only after they have finished crying, because they have run out of tears. And they are not laughing with you, Marty. They are laughing because there is nothing left for them to do.

This afternoon we will be laying on the table the report of our Select Committee on Endometriosis. We have prepared a very impressive report, and the recommendations that we put down I hope are taken up by those we have asked to take them on board. We welcome 50 witnesses and those who made submissions to this place to join us tomorrow when we table and talk about that report.

I would like to take a moment to thank the members of the committee: the member for Dunstan, the member for Torrens, the member for Unley, the member for Frome, the member for Lee and, of course, the Speaker of the house, the member for Mawson, who was on the committee at the start. I would also like to thank our parliamentary staff, Alison and Jennefer, who worked so hard to help us with the committee, and our Hansard fairies, who were there to record it all.

I encourage anyone who still thinks that endometriosis is made up to read that report and the submissions from sufferers to really get a grasp on the disease and its life-changing impacts—you may just become more understanding. As a community who does care, it is crucial we show our support for all who are suffering in silence, and one of the simplest ways we can all contribute is by wearing yellow through the month of March in recognition of those living with this disease. By wearing yellow, we are showing our solidarity, we are raising awareness and telling those affected that they are not alone and telling those who do not believe where to go.

Let's take a moment to acknowledge the personal suffering many endure as they navigate this condition. Behind the statistics are real people; they are our friends, our daughters, our sisters and our loved ones who experience immense physical pain, emotional stress and often feel misunderstood and unsupported.

The road to diagnosis can be long, and the impact of endometriosis can sometimes feel endless; however, awareness and understanding can be powerful tools for change. Through shared experiences and conversations, we can ensure that those with endometriosis are seen, heard and supported. We can encourage earlier diagnosis, better treatment options, and, most importantly, create a society that acknowledges the validity of this painful, invisible illness.

To those who are living with endometriosis, know this: you are not alone; your pain is real, and your journey does matter. By supporting this cause today, by wearing yellow, by talking about endometriosis, we are working together to bring visibility to a condition that has remained in the shadows for far too long.

March is the month of awareness, compassion and action. Tomorrow, let's all wear yellow as our committee presents its report and provides commentary, and then we will celebrate with all of our witnesses and those who provided us with submissions as we look to our recommendations becoming realities. Then let's ensure that those with endometriosis feel seen, understood and supported every day of the year.

Ms PRATT (Frome) (12:16): I also rise to support the motion that this house acknowledges that March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and that by wearing yellow for what remains of the month, it is just another opportunity to raise awareness, to signal our support and to bring attention to a disease that, while common, has been misdiagnosed, misunderstood and, as the member for Waite has suggested, kept in the shadows.

As a committee member, I look forward to the report being tabled this afternoon and a second opportunity tomorrow to bring perhaps a more fulsome response to the committee's experience, the recommendations and the plight that women experience once they become aware of the reality of their symptoms and they start navigating the health system to seek support and relief.

The committee has learnt a lot about that process over the last 12 months since we convened and to consider that, once awareness has been raised or once a sufferer starts to seek diagnosis, the diagnosis can take up to seven years from first approach to final recognition. It has been informative, to say the least, to sit on the committee, to take submissions, to sit with witnesses, and to appreciate what it means to live with chronic pain as a woman.

I mentioned that I am a committee member and I am proud to be speaking on behalf of the opposition today to this motion. Absent from the chamber is my colleague the member for Unley, but I also want to recognise people across the chamber I am looking at now and celebrating with, and those are the member for Waite, the member for Dunstan, the member for Torrens and, as we have reflected on today, in addition to the member for Unley, the member for Mawson and the member for Lee, who, as men, added their own experience, compassion and understanding as people who live in households with women, so that we could undertake this research journey together as we tried to develop recommendations that would bring awareness to this common disease.

I hope they get used to the compliments but, as the member for Waite has already remarked, we are very grateful for the assistance that we have had in that secretarial support from Alison, Jennefer and—I am happy to steal the phrase—our Hansard fairies, wherever they may be, who joined us on our road trips.

It was really important for this committee to commit to the time and commit to the research and education we would benefit from by going to the regions. A regional trip to Berri in the Riverland, in the member for Chaffey's electorate, really was quite an extraordinary two-day experience. We also spent time in Mount Gambier, but I think it was our first venture to the Riverland when we started to appreciate what it is about regional health services that, many hundreds of kilometres away from the city, stands out as communities that remain self-sufficient. They are educated, qualified, experienced experts in their field and they are problem-solvers.

During the time we spent in Berri, we met with a vast number of people who are practising in the space of endometriosis awareness, treatment or therapy: from exercise physiologists to GPs and the role that the hospital is playing. Certainly there is a long way to go and we hope that our recommendations add to that, but I felt that the committee discovered in Berri a community that understood this and was trying to tackle endometriosis—a long way from the city and doing its very best.

In a similar way, our trip to Mount Gambier brought awareness, perhaps, to city MPs of the broader challenges that we see in regional health services generally. Again, I hope that the recommendations from this report go some way to improving resourcing and awareness for the allied health services and the practitioners who are associated with chronic pain management and endometriosis diagnosis and also that it starts to improve outcomes for people who live with it.

I was really taken by the number of expert witnesses we took submissions from who demonstrated to me that South Australia is nation-leading when it comes to research, cutting-edge practices, innovation, and some of the education programs that I will reflect on tomorrow. I want South Australian women living with endometriosis—and the workforce, through health, tied to treatment—to pat themselves on the back and understand that while endometriosis is a really debilitating disease, South Australia is well positioned to continue to lead the nation.

We want to see funding continue to pour into research and funding to support the workforce that need to make themselves available. There are challenges that we are going to elaborate on around the GP workforce, access for patients, delays for treatment, and the challenges that young teenage girls face when they are first experiencing these. These issues will be more fully debated tomorrow as we celebrate the tabling of the report. With those remarks, I support the motion.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (12:24): I rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Waite, who is also the Chair of this parliament's Select Committee on Endometriosis. The motion states:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that March is Endometriosis Awareness Month;

(b) encourages the community to show their support for all who suffer from this invisible illness by wearing yellow throughout the month;

(c) recognises that this is a common disease that impacts more than 11 per cent of Australian women, girls and those who are gender diverse, and that figure is likely to be much higher given it takes on average 6.5 years to get a diagnosis; and

(d) thanks the members of the Select Committee on Endometriosis, including the parliamentary staff, who spent much of 2024 inquiring and learning about the impact of endometriosis, current research and practice.

It is timely that this morning, during Endometriosis Awareness Month, we had the final meeting of the South Australian parliament's Select Committee on Endometriosis, initiated by the member for Waite one year ago this week, and that it is to be tabled in this place this afternoon.

The recent commitment by the federal government to fund an additional 11 specialised endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, bringing the total to 33 across the country, demonstrates that there now exists a genuine understanding of the urgent need to improve access to specialised care for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with endometriosis. This will also assist in early diagnosis, resulting in sufferers with this life-altering condition avoiding years of doctors' visits and hospital presentations and being told that the days of monthly agonising pain are normal and that they will just have to put up with them.

It is no wonder that not only the physical but also the mental wellbeing of so many girls and women has been seriously impacted. It can affect the daily life of a sufferer, their work, their career, their relationships, their participation in sport, their ability to achieve life goals and, sadly, in many cases, their ability to achieve and maintain a pregnancy through to the delivery of a healthy baby and healthy mother.

Shining a light on endometriosis, bringing discussion about it into the public sphere through parliaments, like we are doing today, in the media and social media, community forums and printed material at medical clinics and through education in our schools and universities, is an important milestone that we hope to achieve. This will deliver early diagnosis, less damage, ways for reducing its impact and, hopefully, one day in the not-too-distant future, a cure.

As a member of the Select Committee on Endometriosis, I look forward to the tabling of the report and speaking to it and seeing the implementation of its recommendations. I would like to acknowledge the committee members who worked diligently over the past 12 months to deliver the report and its recommendations: the members for Waite, Frome, Unley, Dunstan, Mawson and Elizabeth. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the commitment by the secretary, Ms Alison Meeks, and the research officer, Dr Jennefer Bagaporo. I commend the motion by the member for Waite and acknowledge her commitment to making a difference to the lives of sufferers today and into the future.

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (12:27): I will not be extensive in my remarks, so heads-up to whoever is speaking next: I am only going to take a brief amount of time. I am probably known for my longer speeches, so this one will be a short one. I just want to take this moment to congratulate the member for Waite. I think she has done an excellent job not just with the inquiry, which we are all looking forward to seeing the recommendations of and hopefully getting those into motion, but really with her overall work on raising the profile of this issue.

I think that endometriosis is still something that is not widely understood. I think that the word 'endometriosis' is getting out there more and more, but I certainly come across people in my community who do not actually know what it is, how it affects women, medically what the definition of it is and, of course, certainly do not know where to get help, how to support a loved one who might go through it, what it means for women in the workforce and what measures we should be taking as a community both on the medical side and also on the societal side to try to address endometriosis and make life better for those people who suffer it.

I really do think that this house owes of debt of thanks, a debt of gratitude, to the member for Waite for the incredible effort that she has put in over not just this last year but many years in raising what endometriosis is and putting it in the spotlight in this place. I give heartfelt congratulations to you on what you have managed to achieve already.

I think the other thing that can be really awkward when discussing these things, but should not be, is that these things, obviously, for many people are very personal medical issues. It can be a bit of a stretch and take us out of our comfort zone to be out there talking about quite private, and sometimes even uncomfortable or invasive, medical issues. I myself, obviously, the year before last led the inquiry into UTI medication and making sure that we could get UTI medication at our pharmacies. We have just gone past a year now of that being the case in South Australia. For more than 12 months, women have been able to go and see their local pharmacist, have a consultation and, if appropriate, get access to UTI medication.

It seems like such a simple thing now. Once things are done, we look back and we think, 'Why didn't we do that earlier? That seems like a really obvious thing to do.' Of course, previously people would have to get into the GP, which unfortunately is quite difficult at times and in certain parts of our state. That wait means that people are kept in a state of pain, are kept away from their workplaces. It makes parenting duties difficult when you are in pain, and it is just unnecessary when there is medication that is available, and of course now it can be prescribed by pharmacists.

I have gone through that experience of having to assess whether I wanted to tell my own story about my own medical experiences, which I would not really talk about in a public forum prior to starting an inquiry on it, and I imagine the member probably had to assess whether she wanted to be out there and talking about these quite private medical concerns to the whole wide world. But, certainly for me at least, it felt like that was a good thing to do, to be out there and talking about something that is so common.

Fifty per cent of women will, unfortunately, suffer a urinary tract infection in their lives, and that is across all age brackets. It is something incredibly common, and yet we do not talk about it. I think that has a similarity with endometriosis, though I think incredible work is being done, including by the member, to try to break down those barriers and let people know that it is something they can talk about without having that ick factor every time they talk about it publicly.

I commend the member for her bravery in stepping up and saying, 'Hey, this is something that I suffer. I know it's something that lots of other people suffer as well.' That is really the first step to being able to convey to people the difficulties of living with endometriosis and just what we need to change to make life better for sufferers of that condition.

I also wanted to say that maybe we would not have had a focus in this place on getting UTI medication at the pharmacy and of changing some of our laws and practices around endometriosis— which I am sure is imminent—if we did not have more women in parliament. The fact is at the last election we had an influx of women coming into the parliament, and I really think that our mere presence here is putting issues like women's health on the agenda.

We as women know that these things have been part of our lives. It is part of being a woman that you do face some of these medical concerns. Our presence in this chamber means that we do have the platform to be able to raise these matters and, most importantly, get change on these things. We have the ability to break down the stigma and the barriers to talking about women's health issues, because we are here, we are living it, and we are representing others who are going through the same medical experiences as us.

More than that, obviously as elected members of parliament we have the power to be able to achieve change. I am incredibly proud that this chamber—and in particular, I have to say, this side of the house—has women who have been bold enough to step up, talk about difficult issues and talk about some of those icky or embarrassing things to normalise them and make them something that we do discuss as part of public policy, and that we do work hard to make change for the betterment of not just ourselves in here but of course for all the women right across South Australia who need us to step up and make change for their lives to be better.

The other thing I want to mention is that women's health is community health. When a woman is sick, a woman is often the one who is carrying a lot of the family responsibilities, who is in the workforce contributing and who is a leader in her community and doing things—they are movers and shakers in our local communities. When a woman is afflicted by endometriosis or another women's health condition, it takes them out of their environment and hinders them from contributing fully to society in the way that they may want to.

Of course, women are often the supports in families: for men who are working, for their children and also in the role of carers, looking after older members of our community. All of that is impacted—the experiences of those men and children and older members of our community are impacted—when women are not healthy. When women cannot do the things that they want to do, whether that is caring responsibilities or being in the workforce, in business or in leadership roles, it has an impact right across the community.

It would be easy to say, 'Women's health affects 50 per cent of the community.' That is just not true. It affects almost 100 per cent of the community every time women are having to navigate these issues, so the more we can do on women's health to support women the better. We can make them feel, firstly, like they can talk about the issues that they are confronting and also that we are putting up viable solutions—maybe not in some circumstances, as we are not at the point of cures or absolute remedies for some of these conditions.

If we are making it as easy as possible for women to obtain relief and obtain support when they are suffering such conditions, it is good for our whole community. It is good for the productivity of our whole nation, not just that of our state. It is good for our economy. It is good for our social cohesion and our family cohesion, and it is certainly good for the welfare of those women who are juggling all those different aspects of their lives.

Even though I said I was going to be brief, look at that: the clock has ticked down already. You cannot trust politicians; they say they are going to talk for five seconds and they just keep going. Lastly, I just want to say that, if you do not know what endometriosis is, now is the time to go and find out. It is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and there is no better time to do a bit of a google search and to chat with your female friends, colleagues and relatives to find out what endo is and how it affects your loved ones. If we are all on the same page about what endometriosis is, that is the first step to making change. I absolutely, wholeheartedly congratulate the member for Waite on this motion and on her work, and the members of the committee as well.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:38): I rise in support of the motion and thank the member for Waite for bringing this important issue to the chamber. I also extend my gratitude to all members of the select committee and to the parliamentary staff who travelled throughout the state, in particular to regional areas like Mount Gambier, to ensure that regional communities were involved and their voices heard. Living regionally and accessing specialist health care and support services presents unique challenges compared to metropolitan areas. It was essential that this committee took the time to listen firsthand to the experiences of those affected and those working in the field, ensuring their concerns and needs are properly considered in shaping future policy and support.

I was first made aware of some of the many difficulties that women with endometriosis face when my office was contacted by a local resident, Lynette, who was in her late 40s and had suffered from endometriosis for over 20 years. Lynette was first diagnosed in her early 20s and has since endured countless hospital visits, doctors' appointments, surgeries and, at times, debilitating pain and symptoms. Alongside this, she has faced days off work, long travel for appointments and significant financial costs as many of the treatments are not covered by Medicare.

Lynette came to our office after finally connecting with a specialist who understood all of her symptoms and proposed a new surgery that could be performed as a public patient. The problem was this surgery was in Victoria and she was rejected by the hospital because she was from interstate. We lobbied the state health minister at the time and eventually the federal health minister became involved. As a result, Lynette was able to have her surgery in Victoria as a public patient. Nearly five years on, she is still living with endometriosis, but her pain has reduced dramatically. She has since become a vocal advocate, raising awareness of the condition.

Through the committee's submissions, we have heard firsthand more and more stories like Lynette's—some who have had success with treatments, and others who are still struggling every day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the individuals in Mount Gambier who took the time to present submissions to the committee: Sarah Coshan, a pelvic physiotherapist from Embody Women's Health, and Eloise Zanoni, a physiotherapist from iCAN physio. Both Sarah and Eloise have invested time and expense to specialise in women's health and pelvic physiotherapy, providing vital services locally, services that women would otherwise have to seek in Adelaide or interstate.

Emma Dempster is an accredited exercise physiologist at Pro Active Health for Endometriosis. Emma's role is focused on symptom management and the prevention of comorbidities associated with chronic pelvis pain. She recognises the need for a multidisciplinary approach to ensure all aspects of the disease are addressed.

Dr Monique Kanters is a clinical lead for women's health at Hawkins Medical Clinic, a GP-led initiative aimed at improving the quality of care for women in the Limestone Coast. When Dr Kanters transitioned from hospital work to general practice, her primary goal was to enhance GP provision of care for women through in-house education sessions in obstetrics and gynaecology, ensuring a holistic approach to women's health.

Lucy Lines is an embryologist with over 25 years of experience in women's fertility. She has worked with countless women experiencing infertility as a result of endometriosis and has conducted extensive research on environmental factors and toxins affecting health.

Stacey Seedon, Gayelene Allen and Lucy Savage, a current Year 12 student, all bravely shared their own journeys and experiences with endometriosis, and Dr Colin Weatherill, Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, has been the resident O and G specialist in Mount Gambier for 22 years—an incredible achievement in a regional area where attracting and retaining specialists for such a length of time is rare. His dedication has provided stability and invaluable care to countless women in our region.

The stories and expertise shared with the committee reinforce the urgent need for improved access to diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for women with endometriosis, particularly in regional areas. Women should not have to endure years of suffering, financial strain or travel long distances to receive the health care they need. I urge all levels of government to continue prioritising research, education and support services to ensure those living with endometriosis, no matter where they are, have access to the care they deserve. I again commend the member for Waite for bringing this important issue to this house.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta) (12:43): I am pleased to support the motion and commend the member for Waite for bringing it to the house. As she mentioned, she has spoken on a number of occasions since her election to the parliament about the challenges that she has personally seen with endometriosis and, in doing so, has spoken on behalf of many women and girls in South Australia, many of whom, of course, have felt unheard at times, sometimes for extended periods of time in their lives, where they have maybe not been taken seriously by not just family members or members of the community but also medical professionals who ought to know better and, in too many cases, think that they know better.

Endometriosis is a condition which causes extraordinary pain to many people on a regular basis. I think the member for Waite described it very well, and I commend the member for Frome and other members who have given their description of the impact on somebody's physical wellbeing.

When that physical pain is repeated and profound, it has impacts on people's mental health as well; that dread, that fear of the return of the condition, the return of the pain and sometimes, of course—in the experience of a number of my friends and colleagues who have spoken to me about their personal experiences with endometriosis—that unending return of the chronic pain, of the profound pain and the significant challenges that has on their daily lives; the days when it is very difficult to get out of bed.

There is the experience of undergoing treatment, which can be, of course, really profoundly challenging in itself, and then the uncertainty of knowing whether or not that will have significant lasting improvements to the quality of life thereafter, or whether they will be consigned again to further pain and financial cost as well. I have extraordinary sympathy for those endo warriors who continue to press on despite their pain and despite their condition.

I look forward to reading the committee's report. I did not serve on the committee. The Liberal Party was represented by the member for Frome and the member for Unley on that committee. It is being tabled this afternoon and I look forward to reading it in due course. I do not think I am going to be in a position to be in the chamber to participate in the debate tomorrow when I understand there are some people coming into the chamber, into the gallery, to hear the discussion about that report, but I can promise members—and, indeed, those other people who are interested—that I will be taking a keen interest in it going forward and what the recommendations are and how the government responds to them.

Based on the discussion that has come in this debate today from members of the committee and, indeed, members such as the member for Mount Gambier, who observed the work of the committee particularly the way that it engaged with people in regional areas, I am confident that it will have addressed some of the issues that I have raised and will raise in my brief remarks now.

I trust, firstly, that one of the key aspects that hopefully is being addressed is the standards expected of our doctors, of our healthcare professionals. I was very fortunate to be the son of a midwife, somebody who did their nursing training at St Thomas' Hospital, who worked all over this planet as she worked her passage on holidays and ultimately her travel to Australia. She has worked in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. She has worked in multiple states of Australia and ultimately in Adelaide where she found her home. I was very fortunate that she decided to settle in Adelaide and it is the greatest privilege of anyone's life to be born in South Australia and given the opportunity to live in this amazing state.

Prior to her coming to Adelaide, as I say, she worked all over the world in all sorts of conditions. My mum—how can I put this respectfully to my friends who are doctors—always encouraged me in the belief that a doctor is obviously a very smart person, they have done a lot of work to get there. But sometimes there are doctors who feel that because of the eminence of the position they hold and the training they have gone through and the years and years of being told that they are the smartest person in the room—there are occasions on which they miss things and have blind spots on the things that they do not necessarily know.

Mum's reflection was not to do with endometriosis, but it strikes me as valid in the criticisms that I have heard from a number of people who have suffered from endometriosis—and I use the word 'suffered' advisedly—in the lack of empathy, the lack of belief of the description of their pain as they have been talking to medical professionals who they feel have let them down, and in every sense from what I have been able to gather from the circumstances I have heard, it certainly sounds like they have been let down.

There is obviously research into the condition itself, but there is also the education of our medical professionals about where that research is up to and the best ways to provide treatment. However, apart from anything else let's start with empathy, and let's start with understanding, and let's start with the acknowledgement that women and girls presenting with symptoms—pelvic pain and other symptoms—of endometriosis should be taken very seriously.

One of the small measures, and one in which I hope I have played a positive role in assisting as we confront this, is through education processes. In 2018 when I was made Minister for Education, given that extraordinary honour and privilege where I served for four years, one of the first people who came to see me was a woman called Libby Trainor Parker, who I am sure is known to many members. She worked in this building for a while—unfortunately, not for somebody represented on either side of this chamber, but we will forgive her for that.

Libby is a tremendous South Australian, a former teacher, a broadcaster. She has been an advocate, she has been an entrepreneur; she is an extraordinary woman. Libby, using her social enterprise initiative and her teaching qualifications, was a key player in delivering the PPEP Talk program along with the Pelvic Pain Foundation. Libby came to the education department with a proposal that had some level of support from Health and the federal government, but that really needed the education department to provide both some extra financial support and a willingness to work with the foundation to get this program into our schools.

It was not a cabinet document so there is nothing that prevents me from sharing that the advice from departmental officials was that this was not great value for money, and their recommendation was not to proceed with it. They made vague recommendations and suggestions to me that the department could maybe do some better work or the department could work something out, but I was convinced that the advice was incorrect.

There were some tremendous people in the department, some of whom may have agreed with me at the time—and I certainly think some of them came to agree with me—that with a bit of extra resourcing and working with those other departments, as I said, as well as the foundation, particularly with the education department helping the foundation get that education program out into as many schools as we could, it was going to have an important role.

It may have been a start, it may have needed further scale than the original grant was able to develop, and it needed to be proved up. It needed to be proved up because not only did the young women who were receiving those PPEP Talks and parts of those programs need to hear that information, especially those who might have been suffering pain that they did not understand and that their doctor did not have a solution for, but also the boys in their class too.

Endometriosis is a condition that may only affect women—I think one of the other speakers said it affects everybody—but young men, or men in general, in a sufferer's life who might not take their condition seriously has a serious impact as well. After the session I spoke to some of the young men who were in the course and they said they really appreciated learning more. People enjoy learning things, they enjoy learning about the things that impact upon their friends' and their family members' lives. That was tremendously valuable too.

I want to congratulate all those who were involved in developing the course. I know it was not just Libby, but Libby was the person who came to speak to me in my office so I singled her out. All those endo warriors, those endo friendos—I am not up with all the latest jargon, but I commend all those people who continue to work, as the member for Waite does, to enhance education and improve the lives of people living with endometriosis in South Australia and acknowledge this important month.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (12:53): I will be very quick, because I understand the member for Waite would like to close this. There has been a lot of talk here today from members of both sides of politics, and it is absolutely fantastic, but one of the things I want to do is thank the member for Waite for doing this, and also the select committee for all their work out in the regional areas. As we commemorate this, I would like the house to commit to the following:

educating ourselves and others about endometriosis;

offering support, empathy and understanding to those experiencing this issue; and

advocating for research by developing initiatives that fund research and influence policies to improve the quality of care for those who suffer.

In closing, I spoke about this before when it was current last time, and I think it was a condition that my late wife may have had when we were living in Port Augusta. I did not understand that, I did not understand that women could suffer from this condition. As the member for Morialta indicated, husbands and boyfriends also need to understand this condition because we have to be very considerate. Again, I commend the member for Waite for bringing the motion to the house.

Ms HUTCHESSON (Waite) (12:55): I would like to thank all members who provided their comments and their support for this motion today. It is something that I am incredibly passionate about, and it is really special to me that everybody feels the same in that it is a really important issue that we all need to constantly be talking about.

Our committee embarked on an incredible journey, and I look forward to talking more about that tomorrow. However, I will acknowledge the work that we did in the regions and the feedback and the information that we gathered there. What they do with what they have is incredible but obviously more support is required throughout the area.

Also, in terms of PPEP Talk, our kids need to be hearing about this, they need to know what is normal and what is not normal. They need to make sure that they are not just dismissed when they go to the doctor because treatment for younger women is harder to create and get diagnosed, so we need to make sure that we do not have young people normalising pain and just feeling like, 'Well, this is just my lot in life.' There is a lot that can be done and, through our research, through our inquiry, we have heard from many different researchers and clinicians.

As a sufferer who pretty much did it on my own or with Google, I am surprised and really delighted at the amount of research that is going on. As the member for Frome mentioned, South Australia is ahead of the game. We are leaders in this space and we would like to stay that way. I thank everybody for all of their comments today, and I look forward to tomorrow's discussion around the committee's report. I want all of our endo warriors to know that we are listening and we are acting. I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.