Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Shortland not only on this motion but also on the speech she has just given and, especially, on her courage in being able to deal with her experiences. I think that I can safely say that all members of this House will support the motion. We all need to talk about breast cancer. One day it could impact any of us, and that is why we need to ensure that the dialogue continues around doing all that we can to overcome this insidious disease. Glenn McGrath showed, by his tireless work along with his wife Jane, that fighting breast cancer requires ongoing work and ongoing funding, and it is very timely that this motion has been brought forward by the member for Shortland.

Only a couple of weeks ago I committed along with five friends to do our little bit to raise awareness about and funds for breast cancer. This commitment came about because a fellow by the name of Pete Delany decided that something needed to be done to try to help—and, rather than talk about it, he decided to do something. So David 'Speed' Robertson, Hamish Officer, Bernie Grant, Nick Finnegan and me have set up a group called Doing the Breast We Can! We are going to contribute to increasing awareness of and raising funds for breast cancer. We will do this by running from Mount Sturgeon to the Star. It is quite a distance to run—from Dunkeld to Port Fairy. It is over 100 kilometres, and the reason we are doing it is that we want to raise not only awareness about breast cancer but also money for the McGrath Foundation. The wife of Hamish Officer has been battling breast cancer. I noted that this year the theme of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is 'strength within', and the way that she has dealt with breast cancer is epitomised by the theme for this month—'strength within' sums up her battle and how she has coped with it. Pete Delany lost his grandmother to breast cancer, and Pete Delany's wife Anna also lost her mother to breast cancer. So, among the six of us, the impact of breast cancer has been felt directly.

I call on all those in my electorate of Wannon and elsewhere to help support us in this venture; it would be greatly appreciated. We need to make sure that we continue to do ongoing work. As the member for Shortland mentioned, when you look at the statistics around this disease you see that they are quite staggering. Thirty-six women a day are diagnosed with breast cancer, and, sadly, seven Australian women lose their lives to breast cancer each day. These are staggering statistics, and we need to address them and make sure that we do all we can to lower the toll which this deadly disease takes from the Australian community.

I will just conclude by saying congratulations again to the member for Shortland for putting this motion forward. I congratulate her for the honesty of her speech. I, along with all members of the House, stand ready to support her on this motion. (Time expired)

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