Ms ROSOL (Bass) – Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for Clark, Mr Behrakis, for bringing this motion today, for sharing his personal story but also for speaking up for many people around Tasmania who have ADHD.
I echo the words that have already been spoken this evening, because there are many people who have spoken to me about their experiences with ADHD, people in my family, friends, colleagues, and professionals who are working with people with ADHD. I have heard about it many times and of many of the difficulties that people are experiencing, including parents who are struggling to have their children assessed with current waits of up to two years within Tasmania.
When those children are unable to be assessed and receive the early intervention that they need prior to commencing school this impacts on their ability to engage with school and learn, and affects their whole future potential. I have heard from adults who have been unable to access treatment even though they were diagnosed as children, from adults who have attempted to access assessment and diagnosis, and the whole lengthy, expensive process they have had to go through to be diagnosed with ADHD. Then I have heard from adults who have difficulty with medication, accessing medication, and the obstructions they experience in accessing the medication they need. We know that stimulant medication is highly effective in managing the ADHD symptoms and helps them to function better in society and in their daily life. There are many difficulties faced by people with ADHD across the lifespan. As Ms Haddad said earlier, these were highlighted by the Senate inquiry into ADHD last year.
This motion specifically refers to many of these difficulties and highlights aspects of the lived experience of ADHD. I want to highlight one aspect, which was the reference to crime and justice system expenses that are some of the costs that people and society experience as a result of ADHD.
People with ADHD faced an increased risk of disruptive behaviour disorders and incarceration. This motion states that 4 per cent of Australians have ADHD. Where research has been conducted on rates of ADHD in prison, it was found that at least 25 per cent of people in prison have ADHD. Given the government’s emphasis on hardline responses to crime, it is interesting to read in this motion an acknowledgement that ADHD contributes to crime for some people. It is beyond time that we moved away from punitive approaches to crime when we know factors such as an ADHD diagnosis can contribute to the reasons people commit crimes.
In relation to paragraph(1)(b), we acknowledge the Liberal government’s commitments to employing new general practitioners with special interests. I note that two positions have been planned and are in the process of being created, which are insufficient given the size of the need in Tasmania and those issues we have heard about already in this discussion about the difficulty in accessing assessment and accessing someone who can prescribe medication for them.
We certainly agree with paragraph (1)(c) where more work is required to ensure that Tasmanians with ADHD have the best possible access to diagnosis and treatments.
The Greens support this referral to Committee B to inquire into and report upon the availability and efficiency of the assessment and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and note the many different aspects of ADHD that would be inquired into and reported on in this motion.
I would like to move one minor amendment to the motion. I move –
That the motion be amended by omitting from paragraph (2) ‘people’ and substituting ‘adults and children’.
To clarify, that is the main part of paragraph (2) where it says ‘support services for people with ADHD in Tasmania’, omit the word ‘people’ and substitute ‘adults and children’.
The SPEAKER – Do you have a copy to circulate?
Ms ROSOL – I have circulated it. I do not know if anybody else that wants copies.
The SPEAKER – You are moving that amendment now?
Ms ROSOL – Yes.
The SPEAKER – We are now speaking on the amendment.
Ms ROSOL – This seems like a minor amendment seeing as the word ‘people’ covers ‘adults and children’, but I think that what we know about ADHD and the experiences of people trying to access assessments, whether they are children or adults, that process is quite different for both, and there are different aspects of issues within the systems that affect adults and children. By substituting these words, it makes it explicit that we are aware of the issues for adults and children and can specifically look into both of those.
I do note that in paragraph (2)(e), it again refers to ‘people’ there, but it says ‘people with ADHD at all life stages’, which covers that. I felt that would be a doubling up to add it there, so we have only moved it for the main part of paragraph (2).
I move that the motion be amended.
Mr SPEAKER – Have you finished your contribution on the amendment?
Ms ROSOL – I have finished my contribution on the amendment. Yes.
