Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (03:39): (2608) My adjournment is for the Minister for Health, and the action I am seeking is a commitment to introducing mandatory requirements for automatic external defibrillators, or AEDs, in public spaces and venues. Every day around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest, and only one in 10 will survive. These are not abstract statistics; they represent parents, children, neighbours and colleagues, whose lives could have been saved with faster access to the right equipment. A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively around the body, and time is everything. For every minute that CPR is delayed, the chance of survival decreases by 10 per cent, and even if you survive, the risk of permanent neurological damage increases. Yet when a bystander is able to administer CPR and deliver a shock from an AED before emergency services arrive, the chance of survival more than doubles. That is the difference a defibrillator makes. Currently, without that intervention, the survival rate sits at just 5 per cent.

With access to an AED and early CPR, we know from international evidence, including the Canadian model, that survival rates can reach 50 to 60 per cent. That is not a marginal improvement, that is transformation. So what is stopping us? The technology exists. It is proven. It is accessible. What we need now is the political will to ensure it is available where Victorians live, work and gather. South Australia has led the way with legislation to mandate a staged rollout of publicly accessible defibrillators. Critically, that legislation also provides indemnity to bystanders who attempt to use an AED in good faith, removing one of the most cited barriers to public use. Victoria should follow that lead. I would also draw the minister’s attention to the work of St John Ambulance, whose letter to the minister I am proud to support. They are calling for greater public education, community involvement and increased AED uptake. Initiatives like Shocktober, held each October, play a vital role in raising awareness of AEDs and CPR training, but awareness alone is not enough. We need defibrillators that are physically present, clearly signposted and accessible 24 hours a day. I urge the minister to commit to exploring a mandated staged approach to AED installation across public venues in Victoria, because in cardiac arrest every second counts and every defibrillator saves lives.