Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 3:33:39 to 3:39:51
Senator Roberts questions the department on the progress of recommendations from the Senate inquiry into tick-borne diseases and the treatment of patients in Australia.
Topics: Health, Government spending
Speakers: Senator Malcolm Roberts, Prof Michael Kidd, Dr Liz Develin, Speaker 17, Unknown Speaker
>> Thank you for appearing tonight. Um first of all I want to talk about I want to just ask questions about tickborn diseases. Uh it's a very sad issue. I've got a few stories here but there's huge opportunity for government to bring justice. I'm going to ask only a fraction of the questions that I that I've got and I'll put the rest on notice for each of the seven. Is there someone
>> Might be me initially.
>> Okay Senator >> for each of the seven. Thank you, Professor Kidd. For each of the seven recommendations of the 2025 Senate inquiry, can the department state what action has been completed, what remains outstanding, how much funding has been committed, and the expected completion date? We can take that on notice.
>> Yes, we'll take that on notice. Thank
>> Okay. Will the department provide on notice a recommendation by recommendation implementation schedule showing deliveries, expenditure, and completion dates?
Um, Senator, I'm not particularly familiar with this, but I would be I am aware of the government's general uh process of responding to inquiries and it generally just when the government tables a response just refers to either agreeing or in principle accepting or not accepting a recommendation. Uh, it is not often that they go to implementation details such as you are speaking of.
>> Well, then the answer is u none
Senator, I don't have the detail on this particular inquiry in front of me. So, we will have to provide you more detail.
>> And if there's nothing been done, >> What sampling surveys have since the government response said it would explore sampling surveys that could track some epidemiology of tick bites? What sampling surveys have been have since been designed, commissioned, or funded? And when will data collection
>> Senator, I suspect we are going to have to take all these questions on notice. I don't believe we have the appropriate officers here to answer your question.
>> Okay, let me uh put some context around Natalie Young is an Australian patient who has spent more than two decades trying to obtain appropriate medical care following extensive tick exposure while working for the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Throughout her illness, she has sought assistance from numerous Australian hospitals, infectious disease specialists, neurologists, immunologists, and other medical professionals. She's undergone extensive investigations, received diagnosis of serious medical conditions, and traveled overseas for specialist treatment. Is anyone aware of Natalie Young?
>> Again, Senator, we will have to take that on notice.
>> Treatment in the United States and Mexico in 2018, 2019, 2025 resulted in substantial improvements in her mobility, speech, cognition, and ability to participate in everyday life. However, she was unable to maintain that treatment and her health deteriorated again after returning to Australia. She has repeatedly experienced situations where her medical history, laboratory findings, and serious symptoms were dismissed in Australia were inadequately investigated because of their association with tickborn disease. laughed at. She has also experienced significant difficulty obtaining coordinated treatment in Australia for autoimmune, neurological and immunological complications even where abnormal findings or separate medical diagnoses have been documented. Is this are you aware of this?
>> Uh no I'm not senator but acceptable. Uh what I was going to say is the Australian Center for Disease Control is appearing tomorrow and they're across
I would add though um Senator no patient should be laughed at. Every person should be treated with respect.
>> Yep.
careful you know careful history, careful examination, appropriate investigations. Um symptoms that people present with can often be non-specific uh and uh and often a multi-disiplinary approach can be helpful for people like Natalie in their care.
>> I'm pleased to hear that. this question. Okay. That that I can put to the CDC The government response to the inquiry recommendations states that future research will build on existing evidence quote rather than further exploring burilia as a vector for debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks dcat in Australia. Given that Australian burilia species and genotypes have been identified and published, Australian research states that the pathogenic potential of candidatus burilia tacky glossy gee the lats must have been remains unknown. What scientific evidence supports the decision that further investigation of burilia and dcat patients is no longer warranted? But what why was that b why was that decision made?
>> So again, I think we need to wait for the CDC folk to join us tomorrow
>> Okay. The government supported in principle the recommendation to urgently review diagnostic testing available internationally and said it would engage with pathology expert groups. Which expert groups have been consulted? Which international diagnostic text tests have been reviewed? And when will the
findings be published? Um, Senator, uh, that will have to wait to be answered until tomorrow morning when the Australian Center for Disease Control is
>> Recommendation five call for government fact sheets and practitioner guidance to be reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose. Has that review been completed? And what evidence review and referencing standard does the Australian CDC? >> Next one. CDC2. That chair. That concludes my first bracket. So I'd like another another uh turn later.
>> Another go around. Okay. Excellent. Thank you. Uh Senator Roberts, Senator