CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms PAYNE (Canberra) (09:50): Yesterday I met a brave young boy from my electorate, Henry Cox, and his mum, Phillippa. Henry, aged 12, is dealing resiliently with an incredibly debilitating and chronic skin condition, having lived with severe eczema his entire childhood. He has endured daily bleach baths, creams, wet dressings, frequent infections and long courses of antibiotics that affected his broader health.
His condition limited his ability to participate in school and led to him being bullied at school. Henry mentioned to me what it meant to him to miss out on learning to swim and riding his bike while his friends were. Throughout his childhood up to age nine, the severity of his eczema was distressing and emotionally exhausting for him; his mum, Phillippa; and the whole family.
Two years ago, Henry received compassionate access to a biologic treatment, and, having turned 12, he can access this treatment via the PBS. Since receiving this treatment, his severe eczema is under control. He has regained confidence and is actively involved in his school community as a member of the SRC and has been invited to represent the ACT at the national chess championships.
I'm delighted to say that Henry was in Parliament House this week raising awareness of severe eczema and the impact that it has on children, families and the health system. He gave me a letter, which was very moving, detailing the impact the eczema had had on his life and how transformative this new treatment had been. Henry and his family are advocating for this drug to be added to the PBS for children under 12 as well, in the hope that more families' lives can be changed, and I was pleased to discuss this with him yesterday.
I'm proud to be part of an Albanese Labor government that has made the single largest investment in Medicare ever and reduced the cost of everyday medicines on the PBS to just $25—or $7.70 for those with a concession card. The PBS is a critical part of our healthcare system, and I know that new drugs are added all the time. I wish Henry and his family all the best in their advocacy.
Last week I attended HelpingACT's JuneroCity fundraising event and was able to see their founder, Mohammed Ali, there and congratulate him on recently being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia—a well-deserved award. Mohammed is well known in the Canberra community. He founded HelpingACT in 2018, and since that time it has made such a difference to thousands of people through providing food and other services to people in need.
His vision is that no Canberran goes hungry or has nowhere to sleep, and he has taken that into his own hands with his very supportive team of volunteers and supporters, who are making a huge difference. It was really great to see that well-deserved recognition. Congratulations to you, Mohammed, and all your team.
Keep up the great work.