Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have been taking the lift for the last few days. I was very noisy on the stairs because of the 'ouches' and groans of pain. It was well and truly worth doing and it was great to be out with so many generations of women, running together on such a day to raise funds for what is one of the more important areas of women's medical research. The event has raised $7.8 million since it first started 14 years ago—an extraordinary achievement for the organisers and for their key sponsor, Women in Super, who I also should thank. They have done a great job for a number of years.

Breast cancer, as most of us know, is one of the most common cancers. It is estimated that around 14,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year. The incidence of breast cancer is still rising but the death rate is decreasing. In fact, it has decreased by 27 per cent since 1994, largely because of better detection and the improvement in treatment because of the high-quality research which has been done around the country. One in nine women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their life—an extraordinarily high number for any form of cancer. So early detection is incredibly important, as is the wonderful research undertaken thanks to the people who organise this great Mother's Day Classic event.

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