A new parliamentary committee will examine how stillbirth research and education can be improved in a bid to stop the devastating loss of six Australian babies a day.
New Labor senator Kristina Keneally garnered bipartisan support to establish the Select Committee on Stillbirth and Research Education which is due to make its inaugural report to parliament early next year.
The committee's first inquiry will look at funding for research, education priorities, availability of data to researchers, the role of the private sector and the impact of stillbirths of the economy.
Senator Keneally, who nominated better funding for research into pregnancy loss and stillbirth as a cause she would champion in parliament, said it was an overlooked and under-investigated public health issue.
"Six babies a day in Australia are stillborn. That is six lives lost every day in Australia," the former NSW premier told parliament.
"Surely, we as a nation can do better than this."
Government frontbencher James McGrath said the coalition backed the inquiry.
"This is important public health issue and we'll work co-operatively in a bipartisan manner with the committee," Senator McGrath said.
