Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the member for Wannon's motion on melanoma. As we know, the word 'cancer' is such a simple word but one that will change people's lives forever. It is a word that gives you that dreaded sinking feeling right in the pit of your stomach and often an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. It is Australia's leading cause of the total burden of disease and, unfortunately it has become more of an inevitability in our society. It has perhaps become the rule rather than the exception that you or someone you know will be diagnosed with cancer.

I do not often discuss my family's personal life in this place but I can say that my wife Cheryle has experienced inconceivable heartbreak from cancer. It goes against nature that a parent buries their child. That is an experience that no family wants to go through. It is the most heart-wrenching loss that I do not pretend to understand; I can only empathise. I believe it is simply incomparable to any other loss.

Today the motion before the House focuses on a particular form of cancer, melanoma, which I am also very familiar with because I have just finished conducting an inquiry into its prevalence and treatment, with my committee colleagues, as the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health. I note that four of my committee colleagues are speaking on this motion.

The member for Wannon must have been watching the movements closely on that committee because I am pleased to inform members that the inquiry is now complete, and I just tabled it in this chamber about half an hour ago. It is an important report which details a number of recommendations for future preventative efforts. I encourage all members in this place to not only endorse it but to play their part in implementing its recommendations through the parliamentary processes and in their own communities.

It is this concept of raising awareness of melanoma that I believe is the most important step each one of us can take, because prevention and early treatment is the No. 1 thing I believe will assist in reversing this concept of cancer being the rule rather than the exception in Australian society, and I encourage all members to encourage their constituents in the melanoma march if they are able to.

I would like to take a moment to read my chair's forward for this report, as I believe it succinctly outlines what skin cancer means to Australia. As members know, there are two broad types of skin cancers that can occur in humans, melanoma and non-melanoma. In this forward I state:

Skin cancer is often referred to as Australia's 'national cancer'. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world and current statistics indicate that two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70, yet 95 per cent of all skin cancers are preventable.

That is a staggering number of people who could be saved from hearing that frightening word 'cancer', particularly given that, as the member for Wannon's motion states, '12,500 Australians are diagnosed with melanoma each year and 1,650 of those are diagnosed with advanced melanoma', which 'kills more than 1,500 Australians each year'—or one death every six hours.

I also highlight that as identified in the committee's report, 'in 2010 there were 11,405 new cases of melanoma reported and it is estimated that in 2020 there will be 17,570 new cases of melanoma, which represents a 54 per cent increase'.

As I previously said, prevention is vital in reducing this rate of melanoma incidence. With this in mind, I would like to highlight the work of Cancer Council Australia in implementing sun-smart campaigns such as 'Slip, Slop, Slap!' and their financial contribution toward research for new treatments.

Clinical trials are also an important part of this process, and a close friend of mine was recently part of one. I would like to briefly tell members her story. Dianne Richardson was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and had a mutant gene called BRAF V600. Because she had this mutant gene, she was able to be included in a trial by GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, using a range of treatments, which I am pleased to inform the House saw Dianne's melanomas disappear after 23 weeks, according to her husband Colin.

Unfortunately, approximately a year after starting this trial, one of the melanomas in Dianne's chest region regrew, and this eventually spread to her brain. I am very saddened to say that in December last year Dianne passed away from this disease, and I once again send my condolences to Colin and his family.

Colin was Dianne's rock during the process. He came before the committee and presented his evidence to the committee in Perth to share Dianne's story and highlight the lack of awareness of this disease within the community and the need for regular screenings to ensure early detection. Colin also made a grand plea for new medicines to be listed on the PBS. I thank Colin once again for his contribution to this inquiry process and reiterate his call for greater awareness. This month melanoma marches, which aim to do just that, will be taking place all across Australia. I encourage all members to promote this initiative and support this motion.

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