Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

For most Australians, summer means the beach, barbecues and a variety of other outdoor activities. In my electorate of Hindmarsh, we are lucky enough to have some of the best, most beautiful beaches in Australia, as well as parks, recreational spaces and sporting grounds. These places support our community to be healthy and active, which is important. Like all Australians, I want us to be able to enjoy the lifestyle that we have here in Australia, but there is a danger that too many people who are using these outdoor spaces are ignoring. As we heard from the speaker before, while most of us know—and have known for many years—about the dangers of skin cancer and the clear evidence linking sun exposure to skin cancers, it is still the most common cancer in Australia. We have the world's highest incidence of skin cancers; Australians are four times more likely to develop a skin cancer than any other form of cancer, and approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70.

While anyone can be at risk of developing skin cancer, the risk increases as you get older. These figures alone are worrying, but there are real and significant personal and economic costs associated with skin cancers. In South Australia alone, about 115 people die from melanoma skin cancer every year. Recent research has found the total costs of treating non-melanoma skin cancers swelled from $264 million in 2001 to $511 million in 2010. This will increase dramatically in the future as our population ages, unless we act now. Even more worrying is the fact that we can prevent skin cancers, but we do not. The majority of skin cancers in Australia are caused by exposure to UV radiation in sunlight and prevention is the single most effective way to save lives, but not enough of us are taking action to reduce this unnecessary exposure. While some steps to address this issue are being taken around the country—with several states, including my very own, announcing plans to ban, for example, commercial tanning beds, which should be applauded—more needs to be done. The biggest issue appears to be that too many of us are complacent about the risks, and we need to take even greater action to protect ourselves from the sun. This issue does not stand alone and should not be the sole responsibility of any single authority or person.

A good example of the broad action required is that a number of schools across my electorate including Sacred Heart College in Somerton Park, Star of the Sea School in Henley Beach and the primary school that I attended, Cowandilla Primary School, just to name a few, were able to build shade structures for their students through the BER funding. Personal responsibility is also paramount and we all need to avoid sunburn by minimising sun exposure, especially in the middle of the day when UV levels are most intense. We need to seek shade and wear a hat that covers the head, neck and ears. We need to wear sun protective clothing and close-fitting sunglasses and sunscreen, which is so important, and we need to avoid using solariums or tanning salons. Where we cannot prevent skin cancer, we must support policies that enable early detection to reduce the number of Australian lives that are needlessly lost to skin cancer every single year, because over 95 per cent of skin cancers can be successfully treated, if found early.

All Australians should become familiar with their skin. Check all of your skin, not just in exposed areas and if you notice anything unusual including any change in shape, colour or size, or the development of a spot, please visit your doctor as soon as possible. I wholeheartedly support the view that prevention is better than cure and we need to do more to take action to reduce those risks as well as educate our friends, family and workmates about the seriousness of, and the susceptibility to, skin cancer. I also want to acknowledge the important work of organisations like the Cancer Council, Surf Life Saving South Australia and schools, as well as the many GPs and health professionals who undertake to care for and educate our community on this important matter. In fact, one of the local chemists at West Beach had a Get to Know Your Skin Day where you could have your skin looked at and any unusual spots were recorded.(Time expired)

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