Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the motion before the House and I thank the member for Shortland for raising the important issue of bowel cancer in advance of Red Aussie Apple Day. As previous speakers on this motion have already mentioned, this Wednesday is Red Aussie Apple Day, part of the month-long national campaign to raise awareness of bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is the second highest cause of cancer death in Australia after lung cancer. Sadly, the disease claims the lives of 77 Australians every week, yet bowel cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer when detected early. If bowel cancer is detected before it has spread beyond the bowel, there is a 90 per cent chance of surviving for more than five years.

The Cancer Council has called for the rollout of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to be accelerated after research showed it could save hundreds of lives. Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia shows that people who participate in the screening program were twice as likely as others to be diagnosed with bowel cancer at its earliest stage when it is easiest to treat. People who are not screened were twice as likely to be diagnosed at the disease's later stage, when it is much more difficult to treat.

The coalition is committed to improving the accessibility of effective and appropriate screening measures for the early detection and prevention of cancer. Accordingly, the previous coalition government initiated the Bowel Cancer Screening Pilot Program in 2000. Following this pilot, as part of the 2005-06 budget initiative Strengthening Cancer Care, the coalition provided $43.4 million for the phasing in of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. The program has been very successful in improving health outcomes for thousands of Australians through early detection. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program was launched in 2006 and consists of one-off tests for 50-, 55- and 65-year-olds. People are sent a kit to collect, at home, faeces samples, which they send back for laboratory analysis.

This Labor government announced last year that it would expand the program progressively until screening is offered every two years for people aged 50 to 74. Unfortunately, it is not due to be fully implemented until after 2030. The Cancer Council estimated screening would reduce deaths from bowel cancer by between 30 and 40 per cent in the over-50 population. It is estimated that more than 12,000 suspected or confirmed cancers will be detected through free screening, saving between 300 and 500 lives every year. However, the Cancer Council's Chief Executive Officer, Ian Olver, says the program is still nowhere near realising its potential because it has been only partially implemented and the participation rate has been low, at 40 per cent. The positive results which are being delivered as part of this program, however, should encourage the government to accelerate the rollout of the screening program. In the interim, they should be promoting the benefits of the scheme to those who are already eligible to take part.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work of the many Rotary clubs in south-east Queensland who are involved in the Bowelscan program. The program runs during one month every year to raise the awareness of the risks of bowel cancer and to encourage those Australians most at risk to take the annual test. With the support of hundreds of pharmacies throughout Australia, the program distributes Bowelscan testing kits to local communities, giving people the opportunity to test themselves early and regularly enough to have a fighting chance of survival. Bowelscan kits are affordable and easy to use and include testing by accredited pathologists such as Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. All proceeds from the kits are put back into the program to allow it to continue to provide this valuable community service.

Rotary Bowelscan was first developed in 1982 in northern New South Wales by a local doctor and Rotarian, Dr Bill Brand, who identified the need for a low-cost, easy to use diagnostic test for bowel cancer. Since these humble beginnings, the program has grown significantly with the support of Australian Rotary Health, participating pharmacies and Rotary volunteers and continues to save the lives of thousands of Australian men and women who suffer from bowel cancer. The Rotary Bowelscan program plays a significant role in the prevention of bowel cancer by testing age groups at risk but not currently eligible for the government's program. I commend this motion to the house and I support everyone to support Red Aussie Apple Day on Wednesday. I thank the member for Shortland for bringing this motion to the chamber.

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