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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 8 Hansard (21 August) . . Page.. 2997 ..
MS TUCKER (continuing):
The situation of carers, who are not able to participate in school because of their caring responsibilities, is obviously also very relevant, and Mr Cornwell did acknowledge that he though that recommendation was useful. The question of supporting families is, of course, relevant to children. Families need to be supported if you want to give children the best possible opportunities to have a fulfilling experience at school. Urban planning: that is also related to the physical health of children and their physical activity. So I really cannot see how there can be any charge that we moved outside the brief of the health of school-age children.
Mr Cornwell focused predictability on the question of sexuality, sexual health and contraception. I have to point out to Mr Cornwell again that it is argued in credible medical journals that the constant pressure of sexualised images in western countries creates pressure on adolescents to have sexual relationships. In addition, Australia has the sixth highest teenage pregnancy rate among OECD countries. Yet in Australia there is no coordinated policy response to youth sexual health.
I cannot believe the ill-founded but powerful sentiment that the education of children and young adolescents about contraception and safe sex will promote earlier sexual activity. The rate of chlamydia infection among young people has dramatically increased in the last few years. Providing contraception and providing education programs about sexual health for young people has even been shown to decrease the rate of sexual activity among people. I am especially passionate about this in the face of the empowerment of young women growing up in a society that places many pressures on who they should be and what they should do.
I will quote for Mr Cornwell's benefit the results of a recent Western Australia research project on current priorities for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Australia. The document states:
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health is an important issue for the Australian population. Pregnancy, childbirth and sexually transmitted infection are major contributors to overall morbidity in the adolescent age group. Legally induced abortions were the second most common hospital procedure and reason for hospital admission in young women aged 12-24 years in Australia in 1997-98, and issues relating to family planning and female genital disorders (combined) represented the most common reason young women consulted general practitioners in 1998-1999. The longer-term implications of teenage pregnancy and STI are considerable. If we are to optimise the economic, social and physical health of all Australian adolescents and young adults, we cannot ignore the role that sexual wellbeing plays in this agenda.
Adolescents are undergoing developmental processes that may lead to risky sexual behaviours. Adolescence is characterised by belief in one's immortality, a desire to experiment, the seeking of peer approval, relatively short-term relationships, and unrealistic expectations about the likelihood and consequences of pregnancy. We also know that Australian teenagers are putting themselves at risk of pregnancy and STI. Teenagers are the most frequent users of emergency contraception at Australian Family Planning clinics, 45 per cent of sexually active Australian high-school students do not use condoms consistently, and 31 per cent use condoms without another form of contraception.
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