Is it hot in here or is it just me? That is something that many women over 45 or 50 find themselves asking. Yes, I'm talking about menopause. In fact, we're really talking about perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. Perimenopause begins when the menstrual cycle becomes consistently irregular and it's when women experience things like hot flushes, night sweats, poor sleep and sometimes mood changes, anxiety and brain fog. Then we hit menopause, which is just a day. We don't know the date until 12 months have passed, but menopause itself is one day. Then we get to post menopause, and all the symptoms of perimenopause can continue plus women experience increased cardiovascular disease risk, the threat of diabetes and a higher risk of dementia and osteoporosis. But there are things we can do to help inform women and empower them as they move through this phase of their life.

I want to thank the people who took part in the Parliamentary Friends of Women's Health forum this week and congratulate the member for Dunkley for her organisation around it. My friend Shelley Horton shared her horror story of perimenopause. There are things that need to happen. More information is needed to empower women to understand what is happening to them. We also need to educate healthcare professionals so that they understand the different aspects of menopause and midlife women's health. Of course, there's always the need for more evidence. We need more research into this aspect of women's health so we understand it better. That is why I'm very pleased to see that we as a government, the Albanese Labor government, are taking women's health seriously with our announcement of the National Women's Health Advisory Council, which will give expert advice to government on women's health matters.