Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 Rikkie-Lee TYRRELL (Northern Victoria) (18:35): (2466) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for a fully funded specialist endometriosis nurse to be made available at Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton. March was Endometriosis Awareness Month, a time to increase understanding of this chronic and often debilitating condition. Endometriosis affects one in nine women in Australia, yet it remains widely misunderstood and often takes years to diagnose.

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A constituent by the name of Emily reached out to me with her personal experience, which truly highlighted the need for greater awareness, support and resources within our regional community. Emily’s journey has involved ongoing pain and challenges in being heard and navigating a system that can be difficult to access outside of major cities. Sufferers of endometriosis often have their pain and symptoms dismissed by the medical fraternity as just period pain or women’s problems. If this were an illness men suffered, they would not be ignored and told to ‘suck it up’, like many women have reported. Endometriosis can significantly impact a woman’s quality of life, including her ability to study, work and have healthy relationships, and even everyday activities, with many having to travel long distances to attend specialist appointments for diagnosis and ongoing treatment, putting a heavy burden on them financially, physically and emotionally.

Last year the Victorian government conducted an inquiry into women’s pain, with 13,000 women and girls responding. Of those respondents, 90 per cent of women said they had suffered pain for over 12 months, with many experiencing pain daily. A specialist nurse in the Goulburn Valley would provide care, support and education for many women dealing with the condition. Ideally I would like to see specialist endometriosis nurses in all regional health areas, because women in the regions deserve the same care as their metro counterparts. The action I seek is for a fully funded specialist endometriosis nurse to be made available at Goulburn Valley Health in Shepparton.