Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Tim RICHARDSON (Mordialloc) (19:13): (1394) My adjournment this evening is to the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for the minister to join me and leading advocates in the women’s health sector for a forum and round table on the next stages of the women’s pain inquiry. Bridging the Gender Pain Gap is a landmark report that comes on the back of the Allan Labor government putting women’s pain on the agenda. We know that so many women in our community have been disenfranchised in their health care and outcomes, and we had over 13,000 Victorians share their lived experience of how seeking help and support for their health care has been invalidated and has been impacted by people that they should have been able to trust. Recently we had the most amazing women’s health forum with the member for Carrum, the former Attorney-General Jill Hennessy and the Minister for Health, and Helen Cooper I give a shout-out to, the Peninsula Health CEO. This was a really important discussion with people in our community and young women in our community around their experiences and understanding women’s health and navigating that. There were 27 ‍recommendations across seven key areas. This is nation-leading work that was put on the agenda by the Allan Labor government.

We had the most amazing women’s pain forum in Mordialloc, one of the first ones, with the Premier and the Minister for Health only a little while ago, last year. It was a great discussion with a really important understanding of the critical work that we have to do and what we need to do into the future. With 27 recommendations across seven key areas, it is a chance for constituents in the Mordialloc electorate to reflect on what they want to see happen as part of that. What do we prioritise in those key areas? What are the first things that we do?

Like we have done in this space, we will go directly to people with the lived and living experience and those organisations that have supported us. A big shout-out to Kit McMahon from Women’s Health in the South East – I know the member for Narre Warren South is a good friend as well, as are so many in this Parliament. She is an absolute superstar. She facilitated that, and hopefully we get her back alongside the Minister for Health for this important inquiry.