Defibrillators

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:30): Tomorrow morning I will be attending the launch of a new life-saving program at the Grange Golf Club born out of the nation-leading legislation in South Australia making defibrillators (AEDs) mandatory in the community. The rollout of AEDs started in January this year in public buildings and next year extends into the private sector.

I am pleased to say that the business, sporting and general communities and groups have enthusiastically embraced this groundbreaking move, and South Australia is now well on the way to becoming the largest heart-safe community on the planet. I am seeing a lot more AEDs installed everywhere I go. I was on Kangaroo Island recently, where there are now more than 50 AED locations around the island, including at tourist hotspots like Seal Bay, Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks, I have people and organisations asking me about it and saying how thankful they are that these devices are now so widely accessible. Let's hope other states soon follow our lead.

The statistics around cardiac arrest are still disturbing. It is one of the biggest causes of death and disability in Australia, with nearly 30,000 dying each year. We all know someone who has experienced cardiac arrest or died from it. In the past few weeks alone two of my friends have passed away, while I see reports in the media where people have died because of sudden cardiac arrest or where they have been revived because an AED was nearby and there were persons in the vicinity who could use one in association with administering CPR. Cardiac arrest does not discriminate and can occur at any time and at any age. The survival rate is less than 10 per cent, unless there is early intervention, and we are talking about minutes here.

A quick response results in survival rates as high as 89 per cent. Eighty per cent of SCAs happen outside hospital—at home, the workplace or at sporting events. That brings me to the HeartSmart model being adopted by golf clubs around the country, where a large sprinkling of seniors play the game, which also makes them a common place for health incidents. HeartSmart has been developed with input from Ambulance Victoria, NSW Ambulance, Monash, La Trobe and Victoria universities, the South Australian government and industry leaders.

Our health minister, Chris Picton, is very supportive, and I understand HeartSmart will have a more visible presence at coming LIV Golf tournaments. Here is how it works: being a HeartSmart Club provides staff members and guests with the knowledge, confidence and tools to be well prepared in the event of a cardiac arrest occurring. It demonstrates and encourages a genuine culture of caring through awareness and instilling confidence in how to handle these situations, particularly when it comes to administering CPR.

Importantly, this awareness and creating pathways to act in these emergencies also assist in filling the gap before state emergency services, like paramedics, arrive on the scene. Every minute is critical, so having individuals on hand who know what to do is so important. It is all well and good to have these AEDs blinking away in a box in the clubhouse or dotted around the course, but this is about knowing what to do and how to handle the situation when needed.

HeartSmart, through its ongoing training and information program, put into practice by a team with expertise in paramedicine, health, psychology, workplace health and safety, helped State Emergency Services strengthen the four steps of the chain of survival. They are: recognising symptoms, calling for help, CPR and defibrillation. It also assists clubs with their legal requirements under legislation, like we have, and ensuring the equipment is maintained and ready to use.

Grange Golf Club is looking to invest in a CPR helper to be on every golf cart to close the gap in any response to a sudden cardiac arrest and accessing an AED. Programs like BeHeart Smart will definitely help improve survival rates while increasing the number of Australians trained in CPR and defibrillation. They can make a vital difference between life and death. I urge more sporting clubs to follow the lead of the Grange Golf Club.

HeartSmart has also enlisted the help of highly respected medical practitioner Dr Peter Larkins, renowned for his work in Australian rules football. He is an ambassador for HeartSmart. I am also pleased and honoured to be an ambassador. All I need to do now is work on my swing and handicap.