Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the member for Dobell on bringing this motion to the House. It is a motion that I think is very close to the hearts of many people. Mr Deputy Speaker, you may notice that the member for Dobell and I are both wearing bracelets that have been made just for bowel cancer month because the colours of red and green, the colours of the apple, are the colours that signify bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer is one of those diseases that hits people from all walks of life. The member for Dobell has shared her personal experiences with the House today. My father died of bowel cancer before he was 55 years of age. Also, previously I had an elected officer who worked in my office whose daughter, aged 33, succumbed to bowel cancer. So it is a disease that affects people of all ages. It is also a disease that is very silent in its early stages. In Australia the lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer before the age of 75 is around one in 19 for men and one in 28 for women. That is one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world. Eighty Australians die each week from bowel cancer. And it is one of the most curable types of cancer.

Last week I had a Biggest Morning Tea. Out of the 140 people in that room, there were a number who had had bowel cancer in the past. I would like to share the story of Shaun. Shaun had had the bowel cancer screening test; he had sent it away. He received a letter back saying, 'Go and see your doctor.' He saw his doctor and he had the cancer removed and it was all contained within the bowel. Consequently, he has not needed to undergo chemotherapy or ray treatment, and his doctor has deemed that he is completely cured.

This demonstrates the importance of undergoing screening. Screening is the best way to ensure that you do not have bowel cancer. The screening test is free for people aged between 50 and 74. I strongly recommend that people undertake the test.

Each of us, as members of parliament, need to go back to our electorates and publicise the fact that bowel cancer is curable. It is one of the most curable cancers there is. There needs to be more awareness amongst people. People need to be checked regularly for screening and, for people who have a family history, they need to undergo a colonoscopy. My sister and I both have regular colonoscopies. On every occasion bar one, I have had polyps—and my sister had polyps too. It shows that they were removed100 per cent; no problems whatsoever. I am sure the member for Dobell needs to have a similar test to me, because it is only by screening and making sure that you do not have those polyps that you can ensure good bowel health.

There are many risk factors, and the member for Dobell mentioned them: family history, which I just concentrated on; being aged over 50 years of age—but, once again, do not discount the fact that you can develop bowel cancer prior to that age; any bowel diseases—if in the past, you have had close relatives with bowel diseases, 75 per cent of cancers though do not relate to family history. Just because no-one in your family has had bowel cancer, do not believe that you are free from developing it. Make sure that you lead a healthy lifestyle, look for symptoms such as bleeding and undertake screening when it becomes available to you.

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