On Tuesday 10th March, ME/CFS Alliance Australia and Co-Chair Dr Mike Freelander MP, hosted the Parliamentary Friends of ME/CFS meeting at Australian Parliament House during Long COVID Awareness Week
The meeting, themed Fluctuating Energy, Fixed Systems, highlighted a central policy failure: people living with ME/CFS and long COVID often experience fluctuating and unpredictable capacity, but the systems they rely on are still designed around fixed assumptions of functioning, attendance and recovery.
We thank all those parliamentarians who RSVP’d to the meeting and attended on the day.
In Attendance:
- Senator Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Senator for Victoria
- The Hon. Scott Buchholz MP, Member for Wright
- Ms Julie-Ann Campbell MP, Member for Moreton
- Ms Emma Comer MP, Member for Petrie
- Ms Ali France MP, Member for Dickson
- Dr Carina Garland MP, Member for Chisholm
- Mr Rowan Holzberger MP, Member for Forde
- The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fenner
- Office of The Hon Clare O’Neill MP, Member for Hotham
- Ms Alison Penfold MP, Member for Lyne
- Mr Dan Repacholi MP, Member for Hunter
- Mr David Smith MP, Member for Bean
- Ms Meryl Swanson MP, Member for Paterson
- Ms Jess Tessdale MP, Member for Bass
- Senator Tammy Tyrrell, Senator for Tasmania
- Mr Aaron Violi MP, Member for Casey
Ms Sarah Witty MP, Member for Melbourne
- Ms Carol Berry MP, Member for Whitlam
- Office of The Hon Mark Butler MP, Member for Hindmarsh
- Ms Libby Coker MP, Member for Corangamite
- Office of The Hon Milton Dick MP, Member for Oxley
- Dr Mike Freelander MP, Member for Macarthur, co-chair
- Mr Matt Gregg MP, Member for Deakin
- Senator Steph Hodgins-May, Senator for Victoria
- Ms Alice Jordan-Baird MP, Member for Gorton
- Ms Louise Miller-Frost MP, Member for Boothby
- Mr Tony Paskin MP, Member for Barker
- Senator Helen Polley, Senator for Tasmania
- Dr Monique Ryan MP, Member for Kooyong
- Ms Sally Sitou MP, Member for Reid
- Ms Susan Templeman MP, Member for Macquarie
- The Hon Kate Thwaites MP, Member for Jagajaga
- Ms Anne Urquhart MP, Member for Braddon
- The Hon Rebecca White MP, Member for Lyons
Apologies:
- Ms Claire Clutterham MP, Member for Sturt
- Dr Helen Haines MP, Member for Indi
- Senator The Hon Sarah Henderson, Senator for Victoria
- Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC, Senator for South Australia
- Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Member for Mackellar
- Senator Jordon Steele-John, Senator for Western Australia, co-chair
- Senator Jana Stewart, Senator for Victoria
- Senator Larissa Waters, Senator for Queensland
- Senator Richard Dowling, Senator for Tasmania
- Mr Jerome Laxale MP, Member for Bennelong
- Senator David Pocock, Senator for Australian Capital Territory
- Senator Marielle Smith, Senator for South Australia
- Senator Charlotte Walker, Senator for South Australia
- Senator Tyron Whitten, Senator for Western Australia
