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

I associate myself with the comments of the members for Wannon and Gellibrand. I commend my colleague the member for Wannon for this motion on the Melanoma March, which takes place this month. We are a sunburnt country—that is the affectionate term we use to describe the rusted earth of the outback, as well as our sun-worshipping culture.

When I grew up in the 1950s and sixties, we did not know of the dangers of sun exposure that we know now about. I was just one of the lucky ones, and my school peers often suffered the harsh consequences of serious dermal trauma due to an excess of UV exposure. Peeling the skin off one's back, we would take delight in knowing that we were making the most of the Perth summer. But with that, what we did not know, that the we now know about, is the causes of cancer and that the damage the sun can do to our skin leaves long term consequences. It should be enough of a deterrent to sunbaking for all Australians. We hear the same message again and again loud and clear in the media: there is truly nothing healthy about a tan. Nevertheless, the message obviously is not loud enough. According to Cancer Australia, cancer is estimated to be the most prominent disease in Australia. In fact, one death from melanoma occurs every six hours, and melanoma is truly the health cancer of our society.

Most Australians know someone who has been touched by cancer at some point in their lives, or have experienced cancer themselves. I currently know, personally, of six people, including a former staff member, who have been diagnosed with a melanoma and received treatment. I grew up with a further five people who have sadly lost their lives to this disease. Melanoma is a vicious, traumatising disease and it takes no prisoners. Melanoma does not discriminate with age, nor gender, nor race, nor ethnicity. We are all susceptible.

Melanoma is one of the most deadly cancers, and is most likely to affect 15 to 39 year olds. It has the fastest-growing incidence rate of any form of cancer, and now ranks as the third most common form of cancer in Australia. Australia experiences one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, and this puts it in a unique position. Western Australia is second only to Queensland in incidence rates. There are over 1,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in Western Australia each year, and of those 1,000 patients it is estimated that approximately 180 will lose their life to the disease.

My local Lions Club in WA, who do a tremendous job as volunteers, regularly run cancer screening drives. In fact, they recently conducted one in my electorate, at Guildford. But the challenge is in the cure and the prevention, and I want my community to get behind fighting this insidious disease. Together, we can raise the money to fund melanoma research and to help those who already suffer from the disease.

I am pleased that there was, under tragic circumstances, the establishment of the Melanoma March, because the march and does two things. Not only does it raise money for research but it heightens the community's awareness of the prevalence and nature of melanoma, because any parent who loses a son or a daughter to melanoma is affected. It was tremendous to see this businessman in Sydney establish the Melanoma March because it has now grown into a national initiative. Last year, with 6,000 people marching nationwide for a cure, and raising the amount that they did for melanoma research, it heightened the community's awareness of a particular cancer that is challenging to recover from, although, if it is caught early, you can recover from melanoma.

This year the goal is to raise $1 million. I invite the Perth community to take part as Australia unites to fight this devastating disease and to raise awareness of Australia's national cancer: melanoma. The march was held on Sunday, 22 March, and was open for everyone, as participants could pace themselves at different speeds.

The Melanoma March in Perth commenced at McCallum Park, and at the end of the event marchers enjoyed light refreshments and entertainment suitable for the whole family. With Perth having the second highest rate of melanoma in the nation, I was glad to see the great turnout for this year's march in my home state. Just remember: don't forget your sunscreen and slip, slop, slap. I commend this motion to the House.

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