STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator TYRRELL (Tasmania—Independent TAS Whip) (13:53): Asthma affects nearly 11 per cent of Australians, and it hits children the hardest. Kids account for 43 per cent of asthma related hospitalisations. They're not just mild episodes and not to be taken lightly.

Asthma attacks can be life-threatening, with one Australian dying from asthma every single day. My kids had asthma growing up, and as a parent it can be hard and sometimes scary, but you're just expected to deal with it. But what many parents are not told is the long-term impact.

Severe asthma attacks do not just pass. Repeated serious attacks can cause long-term damage to the airways, reducing function and limiting recovery over time. Asthma is too often treated casually.

The reality is clear: 80 per cent of asthma hospitalisations are preventable with effective primary care. That is an enormous number of emergencies we could avoid. The science is there, but, as with many health issues, policy, education and access have not kept pace.

We need targeted funding. In Tasmania there is no asthma peak body, and we are constantly short of specialists, who provide the most effective preventive care, especially in rural areas. The financial cost is just as serious.

Asthma represented nearly a quarter of respiratory condition spending. There is a solution, and, with hard work and appropriate funding, it is doable. Asthma Australia is working towards a clear goal: to halve preventable hospitalisations by 2030.

To get there we must act early. That means strengthening primary care, improving education for families, providing targeted training for teachers and carers, and offering free support to reduce triggers in the home. It means direct funding where it is needed most, including in Tasmania and in rural communities at large.

Early investment reduces costs, prevents trauma, protects lung health and saves lives. If we act early, we change outcomes and we save lives.