Debate resumed, on motion byMs Owens:

That the House notes:

(1)

that Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week will be held from 24 February to 2 March 2008;

(2)

that ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in women, with nearly 1,200 Australian diagnoses each year and nearly 800 Australian deaths from it each year;

(3)

that when ovarian cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the outlook is very good—as many as 90 per cent of women diagnosed early are cured. However, 75 per cent of women are diagnosed at the advanced stage when it is very difficult to treat;

(4)

that it is a devastating disease that is difficult to diagnose early and treat at an advanced stage. A woman dies every 10 hours largely because of the lack of early detection tests and poor knowledge of the disease throughout the community;

(5)

that a recent Senate Community Affairs inquiry into gynaecological cancer in Australia (tabled 27 February 2007) identified a need for increased awareness amongst the broader community about gynaecological cancers and symptoms and better educational support for general practitioners;

(6)

that a survey commissioned by the National Breast Cancer Centre has revealed that half of all Australian women believe incorrectly that a pap smear will detect ovarian cancer and that 56 per cent of women are unable to correctly name any signs or symptoms of the disease; and

(7)

the need for greater focus on education and additional research funding to help Australian scientists to find early detection markers and more effective treatments of this insidious disease.

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