Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I was always told that the first rule of public speaking was to take a deep breath. So here I go: in, out. Breathing is one of the simplest daily actions that we so often take for granted. Healthy lungs are fundamental to a healthy life, but half of all Australians rarely think about their lungs. According to recent research by the Lung Foundation Australia, most Australians think they have no lung health issues, and so lung disease often goes undiagnosed. Most are unaware of the symptoms, which can be as common as a cough or a feeling of breathlessness that many will attribute to being unfit or out of shape.

At least one in 10 Australians do in fact have lung disease. That figure is highest in children and older Australians. Lung disease is not just cancer. It ranges from illnesses we hear about commonly, such as asthma, bronchitis and the flu, to more serious diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Typically, younger Australians suffer from asthma, and older Australians suffer from lung cancer or COPD. Indigenous Australians die of lung diseases at a rate that is three times higher than other Australians.

It is easy to focus on the facts and figures about lung diseases, but it is harder to imagine what life is like for those experiencing it. I have had asthma since the age of 27. As a young schoolteacher I remember having to walk away from the blackboard and reach for a Ventolin inhaler in the middle of teaching, hoping I would not lose the attention of my lively class. Now as the member for Hasluck I take my puffer each morning and night and take care to carry it with me as I visit local businesses and schools in my electorate. I even have it with me here in the chamber today. In my case, the saying 'take time to stop and smell the roses' is more about taking time to keep my lungs healthy by monitoring my breathing patterns and living an active lifestyle—although not active enough. I am lucky to have been well supported in managing my asthma, and lung health has become part of my daily life. My experience is one of the good ones. It makes sense when you think about it, but in many cases lung disease has wide-ranging implications for quality of life.

I am in a multiparty group called the Parliamentary Friends of Lung Foundation Australia, and last Wednesday, with the member for Shortland, I hosted an event to launch a new lung-health awareness campaign for the foundation. We heard stories from lung disease sufferers who found that their lung diseases affected their daily choices. One Canberra woman with lung disease told us that her shortness of breath often influenced her decision to stay on the couch rather than getting up and being active. This is despite the fact that being active is a key part of the recommended rehabilitation for the lung condition she has. Through engagement with lung disease rehabilitation, she has learnt not to hold her breath.

What was interesting about the onset of my asthma at the age of 27 was that I, like every other Australian, took my lungs for granted before that. We think we are immortal with our lungs. Yet they are an organ that has a profound impact on so many other parts of the body—because if we do not get oxygen then we do not give our body the nourishment it needs in order for our brains to remain active. I know that my way of challenging the irrefutable fact that I had asthma was to not seek medical treatment but to try and exercise actively, until I was told that it only takes four minutes to kill you. That changed my mind, because awareness of that was important. I think, in the whole area of looking after our lungs, we need to give serious attention to what the implications might be. Even a short pain when breathing is often a sign that there is something wrong.

With just one breath, I can bring local issues from Hasluck to the floor of the parliament. With the member for Shortland, I will continue to be a strong advocate for developing awareness of the impact that diseases can have on our lungs and the importance of our lungs to being able to have a full, rich life with a future. Thank you.

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