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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-09 Daily Xml
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EATING DISORDER UNIT

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:15): The last 12 months has seen an extraordinary level of discontent at the way this government has behaved since the election. Someone yesterday described it to me as 'like summertime in Paris' the way that we had rallies on the steps of Parliament House just about every day of the sitting year. Certainly, this year has been no different.

Today I was pleased to be present with over 200 people who came to Parliament House to raise their discontent at the government's decision to close the Weight Disorder Unit at Ward 4G at Flinders Medical Centre. It was a group representative of a much larger group of people across the South Australian community, because this is a stigmatised section of the mental health spectrum and it is one in which many people are afraid to speak out. I particularly pay tribute to the courage of the people who gave their personal stories on the steps of Parliament House. They showed great personal courage because many of those stories were quite harrowing. What many of them have in common is the way in which Ward 4G saved their lives.

Many of us know someone who has suffered from anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders, and a number of my contemporaries from university and people I have among my friends have gone through a number of these issues. One person in particular has asked me to talk about her story in the parliament today.

Dr Beverly Muhlhausler has a PhD in foetal physiology and development. She is a leading South Australian medical researcher. She is undertaking world-leading medical research here in South Australia in relation to pregnancy and nutrition as it relates to foetal development. She is doing significant work in that scientific field that will benefit very many people across South Australia and, indeed, around the world. She also has contributed a great deal to our community through working for public outreach for science.

She has lead Australian Society for Medical Research expos, encouraging school students towards studying science; and she has set up travelling road shows to rural schools, demonstrating the benefits and importance of science with that body, the Australian Society for Medical Research. She has contributed a number of articles to the education pages of the Advertiser in relation to scientific issues and she was one of the runners up in the Young South Australian of the Year awards last year and the winner of the technology section.

As she has said publicly, her life was saved in 1998 (just before I met her) by the facility and services of the Weight Disorder Unit at Ward 4G. In relation to this matter she has recently contacted me to point out that, as she is someone who contributes an extraordinary amount to society now, so many of the people who have been affected by anorexia and bulimia in the past have given much since they have been saved, and many of the people we lose (particularly many of the teenagers and young girls and boys and people in their early 20s) would still have much to offer society. I want to quote from Dr Muhlhausler's letter to me. She says:

There is still so much stigma attached to eating disorders and there are very few treatment programs (especially in-patient treatment programs) that really address the problem. The decision to close ward 4G...sends yet another message that people with mental health issues (even if these are life-threatening) are not deserving of serious medical help. This represents a huge step backwards in trying to remove the stigma from mental health issues.

There is still a perception that people who have eating disorders are somehow doing it to get attention or manipulate their parents/carers—this couldn't be further from the truth. The vast majority of people who succumb to eating disorders are sensitive and caring individuals who need help to work through their insecurities. This can't be left to parents and carers—anorexia in particular is associated with life-threatening medical complications which need to be treated in conjunction with the psychological issues.

Dr Muhlhausler's courage in publicly tackling this stigma as someone who has recovered from eating disorders is to be commended, and I do so in this place. The government in choosing to have these patients go to Margaret Tobin House is adding to the stigma. Putting these patients in with people suffering from the most severe forms of psychotic disorders is going to make it a great deal more difficult for people to make that courageous and voluntary step to seek help.

It will discourage those who need help the most from seeking it, and the minister's response today, talking about how currently Ward 4G has people with anxiety and gambling disorders and somehow relating that to the situation that his decision is going to put these sufferers in, was extraordinary. I urge the minister to rethink this decision.

Time expired.

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