Australian Coalition for Endo (ACE)
The Australian Coalition for Endometriosis is the peak consumer and advocacy body representing the needs of people with Endometriosis in Australia. The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia is proud to be one of the five members of ACE, together with Endometriosis Australia, EndoActive, QENDO and Endometriosis Western Australia.
Girls, women, and people assigned female at birth with endometriosis have suffered pain for too long. ACE has been at the forefront of change, working with politicians to make positive change.
On December 5th 2017, Health Minister Greg Hunt sincerely apologised on behalf of the government to those with Endometriosis who have suffered too much pain for too long. He committed the government to developing a National Action Plan for Endometriosis and announced that Endometriosis will be a targeted condition for the Medical Research Future Fund.
This announcement was made at the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Endometriosis Awareness group, held at Parliament House in Canberra and attended by the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, Shadow Health Minister, Catherine King, Government Whip, Nola Marino, MP Mike Freelander, and MP Justin Lessey.
This process has been overseen and determined by the 5 principal stakeholder groups of ACE- representing advocates, patients, support networks, awareness and research groups around the country. This bipartisan collaboration has been led by former MP Nicolle Flint and former MP Gai Brodtmann.
(Photo: The launch of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis, Parliament House, Canberra, December 2017. Present: Minister Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister, Catherine King, Government Whip, Nola Marino, MPs Nicolle Flint and Gai Brodtmann, Dean of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, Dr Meredith Craigie, representatives of the 5 ACE organisations, Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia, EndoActive, Endometriosis Australia, Queensland Endometriosis Association and Canberra Endometriosis Network)
ACE has developed a 5-point action plan with the priorities for change:
- greater awareness of Endometriosis and it’s impact through public campaigns
- greater education at a school level for young people
- the prioritising and creation of clinical care pathways for period pain to guide health professionals in the management of severe period pain
- the accelerated investment in targeted Endometriosis research
and importantly, and overarchingly, that Endometriosis become Australia’s 10th National Health Priority Area.
The PPFA representatives on ACE are Associate Professor Susan Evans and Ms Kirsty Mead.
