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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-22 Daily Xml
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SHINE SA

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:50): On Sunday it was my honour to represent the Premier and the Minister for Health at SHine SA's 40th birthday. Along with the Minister for the Status of Women and many longstanding and current staff and friends, we remembered the beginning, when all those years ago the Family Planning Association, renamed as SHine in 1998, opened its doors at Fairford Street, Unley.

Contraception—what is now known as the pill; 50 years old this week—changed women's lives forever and, along with sexual health, it was a driving force for the first women who struggled to achieve votes for women, particularly in the UK where, in the 1860s, those brave outspoken women understood how important this new revolutionary wave of feminism would be.

SHine SA is the lead sexual health agency in South Australia, working in partnership with government, health, education and community agencies and communities to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of South Australians. SHine SA is funded primarily by the South Australian government through the Department of Health, and by the commonwealth government, through the Australian Health Care Agreement. Government financial support represents 95 per cent of SHine SA's total income, with 5 per cent being raised by the organisation through its service provision. The annual operating budget is $5.4 million in the 2009-10 year.

SHine works closely with and provides many services for its communities of interest. They include: young people 19 years and under; young adults 20 to 30 years of age; regional, rural and remote communities; people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; people with disabilities; gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people; workers in the health, education and community sectors; and, of course, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Although the pill became available in Australia in early 1961, it was not readily prescribed by doctors unless the woman was married, had proven fertility, and had her husband's written consent. It was near impossible for unmarried women, particularly teenagers, to get a doctor to prescribe it. Presumably, unmarried men sought advice somewhere too. In 1969, the South Australian government established a select committee to consider amendments to the abortion legislation. The teen birthrate around that time was 67.7 per 1,000 in the 15 to 19 year old age group, and I note that in 2008 it had fallen to 16 per 1,000 in that age group. Unplanned pregnancies were high, and abortions were unsafe and illegal. Along with termination, adoption and shotgun weddings were the ways of dealing with this issue, resulting in very sad and difficult decisions, often leading to very troubled lives for all concerned.

The South Australian Medical Women's Society and the National Council of Women made submissions in support of the proposed legislation and urged the government to provide support for family planning as a means to reduce unplanned pregnancies and the need for many to seek an abortion. In December 1969, a public meeting was held to gauge the level of support and a steering committee formed. The state government undertook to provide an establishment grant of $5,400 and annual funding which continued through all successive governments. In 1970, abortion was decriminalised. Clinics were opened where doctors and nurses provided information and contraception to unmarried and married women. The 1970-71 Social Workers Report indicated that, of 459 new patients, 116 were single girls with no immediate plans for marriage.

I was one of them and, as my mother had died when I was 13, and with the following upheaval that saw my family relocate to South Australia away from extended family and friends, no-one remembered that I would soon need to know about, what was often referred to then, as the birds and the bees, and that term is probably still used today by many people. As an otherwise boringly healthy individual, I remember going to Fairford Street, Unley, and later to Phillips Street, Kensington.

Then, as now, knowledge is power. Delivering sex education programs remains, perhaps, the most vitally important role, something that still involves emotive debate, yet continues to keep parents on their toes. Age appropriate information must be available to children as they seek it, some sooner than others. That has not changed in this fast-paced, IT savvy world and poor information travels as fast as a click of a button. Luckily, SHine is aware of the trends and, in 1986, at the request of the then minister for health, a review identified the need to change SHine's services to become the train-the-trainer role. So began the efforts to refine and expand already existing courses for doctors and nurses to reach schools through teachers, youth and disability workers and the Aboriginal community.

In 2007 the Woodville building was opened, providing extended services during the day and after hours. From a 15 school pilot program between 2003 and 2005, SHine services are now in 78 schools and reach Aboriginal people under Close the Gap funding.

In the words of Kaisu Värttö, who provided information for this grievance, what started as an unknown journey has taken us to a society that has changed so significantly it is hard to recognise that we are in the same South Australia, Australia and, indeed, the world. I honour the foresight and determination of the people who established the Family Planning Association of South Australia and became the first members of the interim council, and its staff who provided the services. I acknowledge Kaisu Värttö and her staff who continue the service throughout our state. This is especially important to note in Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week, when early detection of problems in reproductive health, particularly through pap smears, can save many lives.

Time expired.

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