Senate Select Committee on Women's Health - Adelaide, SA (part 1 of 2)

4 November 2026

Senate Select Committee on Women's Health Parliament of Australia

Follow its sittings
16:26 - 18:20
Speaker 1
Good morning everybody.  Are we good to go?  I declare open this public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Women's Health.  I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today, the Kaurna people, and pay my respects to their elders past and present.  And I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today. 

The committee will be conducting today's hearing in person from Sydney and via teleconference.  My name is Senator Marielle Smith.  I'm the chair of the committee.  And I'm joined today by Senators Barbara Pocock, Senator Stewart, Senator Ruston who is online, and we're also expecting Senator Whitten, Senator Bly and Senator Payman.  These are public proceedings being streamed live via the Parliament's website and a Hansard transcript is being made. 

I remind all witnesses presenting that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege.  It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt.  It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence.  The committee prefers evidence to be given in public, but under the Senate's resolutions, witnesses have the right to request to be heard in confidence, which we describe as being heard in camera.  If you are a witness today and you intend to request to give evidence in camera, please bring this to the attention of the Secretariat, so Claudia or Fatima, as soon as possible. 

If a witness objects to answering a question, the witness should state the ground upon which the objection is taken and the committee will determine whether it will insist on an answer, having regard to the ground which is claimed.  If the committee determines to insist on an answer, a witness may request that the answer be given in camera.  Such a request may, of course, also be made at any other time.  I remind senators of their obligations under the behaviour code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness, and respect.  I remind committee members and witnesses who are appearing via teleconference and who are not speaking to please mute their microphones. 

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