Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Women) (17:33): It is a great pleasure to be able to respond to the member for Narre Warren South and his question regarding the outcomes of the nation-leading pain inquiry that was conducted here in Victoria by the Allan Labor government. As I know the member knows, 13,000 women and girls responded to that inquiry. We were really overcome by the number of responses, and reading the direct experience of so many women has been extraordinarily powerful. Of course we are a government that is committed to taking action on the outcomes of the pain inquiry, so it was fantastic to be able to join with the Premier and indeed the Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health the member for Northcote and other government members at the women’s health clinic in Epping in November to release the report and announce three immediate actions that the government would take. But before I talk you through those actions, let me tell you a little bit more about what our report found.

From the respondents, 90 per cent told us that they had experienced pain and they were living with pain for longer than a year. Of that cohort, 54 per cent were living with that pain daily. Eighty-nine per cent told us that their pain impacted their mental health. For me, one of the most powerful outcomes of the inquiry was the experience of women telling us that they had been prescribed antidepressants to deal with their poor mental health but that was very frustrating because their poor mental health was in large part caused by living with pain. So there was no real attempt to address the root cause of their poor health. What we also found is the most common causes of the pain that women were living with included menstrual and hormonal pain; endometriosis, which we have at last spoken a lot about in this place; and – they are hard words in health – musculoskeletal pain. Of course arthritis is an autoimmune condition which impacts women at a much higher proportion than it impacts men.

Women told us that their key barrier to care was not actually being believed or having their concerns dismissed. On the one hand women are either not believed when they present with pain or, as we have heard, particularly with regard to menstrual pain, told that it is normal – ‘Get on with it, have a Panadol, just keep going.’ So it is really important that the three responses that we announced on the day include the establishment of an adolescent and children’s clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital that will target in particular adolescent girls who are experiencing significant period pain and indeed pelvic pain. Again, many of us have been told through our lives that period pain is normal. This causes great alarm to experts in this area, because women then no longer seek the help that they should be getting. They normalise this pain, and yet we know that it can often be a symptom of things like endometriosis.

The short answer to the question is this clinic is going to be an absolute game changer, and we anticipate that the clinic will enable the treatment of a range of conditions, including endometriosis, a lot earlier. Of course many women do not actually get a diagnosis of endometriosis until the time when they try to have a baby and they have challenges with their fertility. That is when they find out that they have got endo.

One of the second responses to the pain inquiry was to ensure that we provide our 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs that our Labor government has established right across Victoria with the green whistle as an option for women who are seeking the insertion of an IUD. The IUD is a very effective form of contraception, but some women experience pain with the insertion of an IUD, and to date there has not been any real attention to pain relief. The green whistle means that women are in control of this procedure and it will enable, we think and we hope to see, a greater take-up of the IUD, which, as I said, is a very effective, long lasting form of contraception. Certainly there are many gynaecologists who would recommend it above other types of contraception as meeting the needs of many more women.

Thirdly, we will work to develop a women’s pain standard. This is about working with our clinicians, who, again, I want to say, really want to do the right thing but often have felt that they have not got the knowledge to treat the concerns of women. With a women’s pain standard we want to give women an assurance that they can expect a certain level of care when it comes to dealing with pain and indeed access to pain relief. I should point out too that some of the research that we have at our disposal indicates that men are much more likely to be offered pain relief, and indeed the pain relief that they are offered is much more effective than that that is offered to women.

For reasons that have no basis in fact, women are expected to have a higher pain threshold. We have got to bust these myths, because we deserve pain relief too. To the member, I hope that that goes some of the way to outlining some of the findings in the report and the action that our government is taking. Again, I congratulate you and indeed I congratulate all Labor members who have taken the opportunity to host these important events in their electorates.

The member for Kew raised a matter for the attention of the Premier, and I might take the opportunity to remind the member for Kew that it is in fact police command that make the decisions about the deployment of police officers. Nonetheless, I will ensure that the Premier receives that request.

The member for Werribee raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts, and I am sure the minister would be absolutely delighted to come out to Werribee and see how the Growing Suburbs Fund is being put to great use in his electorate to meet the needs of his fantastic and growing community.

The member for Gippsland East raised a matter for the attention of the Minister of Health Infrastructure, and the action he seeks is that the minister expedite a master planning for Bairnsdale hospital. It is a beautiful hospital. I visited that hospital, of course. Please pass on my regards to the hardworking staff there at Bairnsdale.

The member for Northcote raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Education. The action that she seeks is an update on the work that we are doing to ensure that we are tackling antisemitism in our schools through the curriculum and indeed building on our commitment to ensure that Holocaust education is in fact compulsory in the school system.

The member for Bulleen, who has left the premises, raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Public and Active Transport.

The member for Broadmeadows raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Education. Again it was great to hear the member for Broadmeadows talk about her hard work securing so many investments for her electorate. The action she seeks is that the minister provide an update on the Merri-bek North Education Plan. Of course, in the year that we are celebrating 100 brand new schools being opened in our state, built by our government, I am sure the minister cannot wait to come out and meet with you.

The member for Berwick raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Police, and the action that he seeks is that Clyde North police station be staffed with police. Again, as a former police officer I would have thought the member for Berwick would also know that visible policing is about actually having police on the street, and our new chief commissioner has made this an absolute priority of his. But nonetheless, I imagine the Minister for Police looks forward to answering that question.

Brad Battin interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Berwick, the house is still in session. I would ask you to refer to members by their correct titles or leave the chamber.

Brad Battin interjected.

The SPEAKER: Through the Chair, member for Berwick.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: And in your seat.

Brad Battin interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Berwick!

Brad Battin interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Berwick can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Berwick withdrew from chamber.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: The member for Cranbourne raised a matter for the attention of the Minister for Transport Infrastructure. Once again I expect that the minister will be delighted to take up the opportunity to meet with students and talk through the way in which Melbourne Metro is just opening up so many more opportunities for the students in her electorate to access a world-class education so much more easily and speedily with the investment of our government.

The member for Croydon raised a matter also for the attention of the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and the action that he is seeking is work on an intersection at Devon Street and Wicklow Avenue in Croydon that he has some significant concerns about.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, Minister. Thank you, members. Can I once again, as always, thank our clerks and hardworking parliamentary staff. The house is now adjourned.

House adjourned 5:44 pm.