Motions

Dementia Awareness

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (12:01): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that 21 September 2025 is World Alzheimer's Day, coinciding with Dementia Action Week, a time to raise awareness and challenge stigma surrounding dementia;

(b) recognises the extraordinary work of Dementia Australia in supporting individuals living with dementia, funding vital research and advocating for greater awareness within our communities;

(c) commends the Malinauskas Labor government's unwavering commitment to strengthening our state's health system, including delivering more beds at the Repat and expanding services through the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit to enhance care for older South Australians;

(d) honours the families and carers who selflessly support their loved ones living with dementia and remembers those who have passed; and

(e) encourages the continued development of dementia-friendly initiatives across South Australia, including enhanced community support, carer assistance programs and dementia-inclusive public spaces.

This morning, alongside Minister Picton and the member for Frome, I was proud to co-host an event for the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia. We heard from people whose lives have been profoundly shaped by dementia, not just those diagnosed but those who have loved and cared for them. We are very fortunate to have some of them in the gallery with us today, representatives from Dementia Australia and also advocates.

Dementia Australia continue to lead the nation in awareness, advocacy, education and support services. Their helpline—which was referred to today as 'a big gasp of oxygen after a deep dive'—the educational programs, the community toolkits and the resources reach thousands of Australians each year and often serve as the first point of light for families navigating an uncertain path after diagnosis.

They fund vital research into diagnosis, treatment and, importantly, prevention and care, looking not only for a cure but for ways to improve quality of life for people living with dementia now. Initiatives like BrainTrack, Talk with Ted and the D-Esc VR tool for aged-care workers, which many of our members have been able to have a play with today, demonstrate their commitment to using cutting-edge technology to foster an understanding and better care.

Importantly, Dementia Australia has driven the Dementia-Friendly Communities movement, empowering councils and businesses, schools and, of course, electorate offices—including mine and the member for Frome's and I think 16 other electorate offices in our state—to become safe, welcoming places for people with dementia. They have trained advocates, they have supported carers, elevated lived experience into every conversation and have helped break down stigma. In South Australia they have worked closely with us, through the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia Action Plan, to deliver real change in our communities.

As a government, we know that words alone are not enough: action matters. That is why the Malinauskas Labor government is investing significantly in the infrastructure and services needed to support South Australians as they age, including those living with dementia. At the Repat Health Precinct we are delivering 96 new subacute beds, including 48 specifically for geriatric evaluation and management (referred to as GEM), 24 for dementia and cognitive support, and 24 psychogeriatric beds. These are critical to supporting older South Australians with complex needs in a specialist environment that prioritises dignity and quality of life.

This expansion builds on our commitment to better care for people with dementia and cognitive decline. The GEM units, for example, provide multidisciplinary care to help prevent functional decline, support rehabilitation and reduce unnecessary hospitalisations. These services are essential not just for patients but for families and carers who often bear the greatest load.

We have also increased investment in Hospital at Home services, mental health supports for older people, and workforce development initiatives to ensure aged-care workers and health professionals are better trained in dementia care—a point powerfully raised today by Deidre. These are the kinds of reforms that do not just treat illness: they protect wellbeing, independence and community connection.

Today's event showcased just how powerful the voice of lived experience is. We heard from Vern, whose experience comes from caring for his late wife, Rosemary, from Deidre, whose story of courage, isolation and advocacy after her husband Warren's diagnosis moved us all, and from Ann, who lives with dementia and reminded us that meaning, contribution and brain health do not end at diagnosis, and that parliamentarians must lead by example when it comes to prevention and awareness.

Thanks to the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia Action Plan we are already seeing change. As I mentioned, there are 18 MPs who have become Dementia Friends, multiple electorate offices are now recognised as dementia-friendly organisations, MPs are raising awareness at forums, community events and, of course, here in parliament. Resources from Dementia Australia are now widespread in our regions and they continue to offer us more and more to include in our offices, and through tools like the National Dementia Helpline we are connecting more people to help faster.

Dementia is not someone else's issue: it is ours. It touches every electorate—in fact, this morning each of our electorates received one of these sheets from Dementia Australia, which highlight how many people are living with dementia in each of our electorates. I know I was certainly surprised—I am sure other MPs were as well—that there are 35,000-plus people in South Australia right now living with dementia, and 684 of those are in just my electorate of Davenport. I think in the member for Frome's it is over 700, and in her speech this morning she mentioned that then means there are 700-plus families who are living with dementia in her electorate alone.

It is definitely something that we need to be paying attention to, and we need to be providing those families with support and respect. We need to ensure that they are heard and that we are listening. So let us continue the work to destigmatise, to care, to invest and to plan for a dementia-friendly future. I thank all of those who shared their stories today and who care for their loved ones, who advocate, who educate and who stand beside us as we do this work. I commend the motion to the house.

Ms PRATT (Frome) (12:08): I rise as the lead speaker for the opposition, but I note that we will be introducing an amendment to the original motion today. For our guests in the chamber, there is a parliamentary convention when motions are introduced by private members that where there is an opportunity to test or to challenge some of the motion we take that opportunity.

I think, when we reflect on the discussion and the speeches we previously heard on the topic of domestic violence, there is a resolve in this chamber—across the floor, from the opposition to the government—not just in terms of domestic violence but in the pursuit of creating awareness for dementia, that we are all seen to be working towards this. The amendment to the motion that I put forward today is to delete paragraph (c). Mr Deputy Speaker, I am not sure if convention requires me to read the motion in full?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, just the bit you want to change.

Ms PRATT: I wish to delete paragraph (c) and insert instead:

(c) recognises the essential role of the Repat Health Precinct in the provision of service delivery for some of the most vulnerable South Australians suffering extreme behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia which is only possible because of the investment and commitment made by the former Liberal government to save this hospital and establish the Repat Neuro-Behavioural Unit;

Having put that amendment forward, I want to return to the essence of the day. It starts with the member for Davenport introducing this motion and bringing to our chamber an opportunity to mark the very important annual date of 21 September 2025 as World Alzheimer's Day. The government's motion captures some very important elements that, through our morning event, we share in common; namely that:

this day, World Alzheimer's Day, is certainly a time to raise awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding dementia;

this motion recognises the extraordinary work of Dementia Australia in supporting individuals living with dementia, funding vital research and advocating for greater awareness within our communities;

this motion honours the families and carers who selflessly support their loved ones; and

this motion encourages the continued development of dementia-friendly initiatives across South Australia.

That was apparent this morning, through an event that was full of friendliness, compassion and care. I join the member for Davenport, as a co-convenor of this parliamentary group, in welcoming guests today from Dementia Australia, from our Dementia Australia advocates. As we separate individual roles, we pay attention to not just those living with dementia but the very special support network that we identify as carers. We acknowledge the remarkable contributions of Dementia Australia, the national body dedicated to supporting individuals living with dementia, their families and their caregivers. Dementia Australia plays a pivotal role in funding essential research, providing trusted information and advocating for policy changes that promote a dementia-friendly society.

With approximately 433,000 Australians currently affected by dementia, and an additional 1.7 million people involved in their care, love and support, it is crucial to recognise that dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, is the second leading cause of death in our nation. As of 2024—and of 2025; we have those statistics now—it is estimated that 34,000 to 35,000 individuals in South Australia are living with dementia.

Both the member for Davenport and I are—I think 'shocked' might be too strong a word, but we are certainly stopped in our tracks when we see a data breakdown. When I gesture towards 34,000 to 35,000, it is too flippant a response, because we are talking about individuals who, as expressed today in conversation, have a significant moment in time when their diagnosis is imparted by, often, a GP. Time stands still perhaps as the weight of that diagnosis is evaluated. We must not throw numbers around but tie each statistic, each data point, to a person and their family, and, in my case as a country member of parliament, perhaps to their community and town.

For the electorate of Frome, the data shows that 704 people are living with dementia in the Mid North region, and hopefully with family support. Yes, I reflect on the 704 meaning a house with a driveway and a car, and perhaps a pet. What are the family needs that go with the 704? In regional South Australia, the question then is: what services do they have access to? What services do they not have access to? What does it look like when we talk about the growing demand on aged-care beds that might be attached to a country hospital? For some towns, there may be a standalone residence or organisation that is providing care, and I will touch on some of those shortly, but 704 is not a number to dismiss, and I am grateful to Dementia Australia, to the CEO Tanya Buchanan and David Edghill for breaking down those numbers to impress upon us as parliamentarians, particularly those who have dementia-friendly electorate offices, that we pay attention to what that means.

I am really proud to be a part of establishing the Parliamentary Friends of Dementia group with the member for Davenport, and long may it continue. As our research develops and informs us, I am sure that there is a cure ahead of us, but what has been apparent today from the conversations at our recent event is that it is not a death sentence. There is an opportunity through the support of the national helpline, and support from Dementia Australia, to navigate what services are available to return to the life you are living, perhaps better aware of what it is you can do to improve those protective factors.

It is clear through The Lancet Commission's research that both the government and the opposition are paying attention to the data that demonstrates through preventive measures that there are 14 risk factors that we can start to address. I think of the 14, there are six that we are going to pursue with great vigour to start to halt and arrest the disease, and build awareness in the community that there are opportunities to prevent its development or progress.

Perhaps with the time that I have left, I just want to formally recognise all of the groups, particularly around regional South Australia, that are dementia-friendly communities with ongoing activities in local communities: Barunga West; Careship Coorong; Nature and Natter in the Barossa; Tailem Bend Community Centre; Port Lincoln Library; Murray Bridge Community Centre; Blue Illusion in Port Lincoln; I love The Caring Choir, wherever they may be; and the dementia-friendly Gawler group established by Anthony Pollock. Thank you to our advocates. Thank you, Dementia Australia, and I commend the amended motion.

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (12:18): Thank you to the member for Frome for her comments. Our Parliamentary Friends of Dementia have enjoyed bipartisan support for the best part of the last three years, so it is quite disappointing that the member for Frome has put forward this amendment, which we will be opposing. The amendment is clearly just a bit of political game playing, which is extremely disappointing given the guests who we have in the house today.

I stand by my original motion and particularly the part that the member for Frome is wanting to remove, which reaffirms our government's commitment to strengthening our state's health system. We have done a huge amount of work in this space since coming into government, delivering more beds at the Repat, expanding services with the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit—things that did not exist or did not get supported by the former government.

So we will be proceeding with the original motion. I hope that we can continue to have bipartisan support with this friends of parliament group, because we have been able to achieve a lot to date and I hope that we continue to have a strong partnership going into the future. I commend the original motion to the house.

Amendment negatived; motion carried.