Page 1667 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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infrastructure and the appropriate resourcing to deliver this long term in a way that complements what is already being done.
An appropriately resourced model will allow for the greatest collective impact of this sector. Again, Madam Speaker, you get what you put in. Given the already strong collaborative nature of this sector, I am confident that this approach will further increase its collective impact. It will make a difference. As a jurisdiction, we can be and we should be leaders in this space.
Madam Speaker, I know that I have just banged on about how we should not do things that are a one-off; so proposing a dedicated annual sexual health week might seem a little odd, but I make clear that I am proposing that a sexual health week would be within the broader, more permanent outreach model. Like National Condom Day, it would be an opportunity to turn the spotlight on sexual health across its many interrelated areas.
A dedicated annual sexual health week would serve to get people talking about sex and sexual health more openly. It would be used to highlight the ongoing availability of location-based and outreach services, attract new people to engage with these services, whether during that week in the future or, indeed, regularly over the longer term, and provide an opportunity as a community to come together to reflect on the importance of, and to celebrate, good sexual health.
Madam Speaker, I have said quite a bit today about reducing the stigma around sexual health, that the conversations we have about it should be normalised. I am not saying that everyone should be going around talking about when and if they are getting tested and what those results are or how many boxes of condoms they might be buying a week. It is an individual’s business what they want to reveal.
However, I am of the firm view that there should be no shame in it. So I am going to walk my own talk. I have made it no secret publicly that I get regularly tested, and I sincerely thank the Canberra Sexual Health Centre for their consistently excellent approach and how smooth they make the whole experience. The health professionals within that centre are second to none.
Madam Speaker, I am also happy to put on the record that I have had chlamydia. It happened; I was 21; I got diagnosed; I got treated; it was incredibly straightforward; it was not a big deal. What would have been a big deal is if I had not gotten tested and if I had not been treated. I hope that by being open about it in a public way it might encourage someone who is feeling unsure about getting tested to take the step, now or in the future—but hopefully now—by going to one of the many excellent services or perhaps when those services are reaching out to them.
It is pretty plain that we have a serious problem on our hands. Without the current strength of our sector, things would be much, much worse. I really do want to commend again the organisations for the support we have here in the ACT. It is genuinely first rate, and I can speak to that from personal experience. But that sector could be doing more. Importantly, it wants to be doing more—with the right model and with the right resourcing—to complement what they are already providing to
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