Parkinson's Australia August 2026 Newsletter

Hi there,

Second international keynote speaker announced for the Parkinson's Australia National Conference

Parkinson's Australia is pleased to announce Professor Fiorella Contarino, MD, PhD, as a keynote speaker at the Parkinson's Australia National Conference.

Professor Contarino is Professor of Neurology by special appointment at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in the Netherlands. Her work focuses on therapeutic innovations for Parkinson's. She is also a Clinical Neurologist at the Haga Teaching Hospital in The Hague, where she coordinates the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) team and the research activities of the Neurology department.

Her research aims to improve personalised treatment for people with movement disorders. She is advancing the field of DBS through the development of new technologies. She has authored more than 100 publications and serves on the editorial boards of scientific journals.

Professor Contarino is Secretary of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society – European Section and Past Chair of the Society's Neurosurgery Study Interest Group (SIG).

Her keynote will give delegates direct insight into how DBS and personalised treatment are changing care for people living with Parkinson's. She will also be talking on the microbiome and Parkinson's.

Registration & confernece details: www.parkinsons.org.au/panc27

Our advocacy work

Senate inquiry into the Support at Home program closes 31 July. We are working with other peak organisations, like the Genetic Alliance Australia, to get an additional 1,000 submissions before the closing date with our #needsnotanumber Aged Care campaign. See our Aged Care Reform campaign page for more information (yellow button below).

Aged Care Campaign Page - Needs, not a number

#BanParaquat, sign & share

Read our CEO's Opinion piece on Syngenta's exit from the Australian & New Zealand markets... READ MORE: DON'T BE FOOLED. THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER!

CEO's opinion piece on Syngenta announcement #BanParaquat

Paraquat is banned in more than 70 countries. It is still sprayed on Australian farms. Research links paraquat exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson's, the world's fastest growing neurological condition.

Watch Sandi's story on A Current Affair about the link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's risk. ▶️ Watch here

More than 20,300 of you have signed. The APVMA has made their decision about paraquat, but every signature adds pressure for a full ban. Please share!

Here's how you can help today:

Watch and share the video with your networks
Ask five more of your friends or family to sign the petition
Tag us @parkinsonsaus so we can amplify your posts

Australia is behind the rest of the world on paraquat.

Your signature helps change that. Sign and share now.

Change.org #BanParaquat Petition

Next online topics: Employment & Sleep

Attend a roundtable: Our next Parkinson's Australia Roundtable features Lachlan McGregor from Maurice Blackburn, providing an overview of employment law and what it means for people living with Parkinson's.

THURS 30 JULY 1.30pm ACST

Join our webinar: Parkinson's Australia is teaming up with the Sleep Health Foundation, Parkinson's WA and the Tasmanian Parkinson's Project to bring you a very eye-opening webinar on Improving Sleep with Parkinson’s: Stories, symptoms, & supports with a couple's lived experience stories, a Neurologist and a Parkinson's Nurse to give you tips around the reality of sleep issues and how to overcome some of the challenges.

WEDS 5 AUGUST 11.30am-12.30pm ACST

We look forward to seeing you online!