Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Dobell for bringing this motion to the House. I certainly also endorse the amendments by the member for Shortland. It is nice to see bipartisanship on this issue, as I am sure we would expect. Of course in this area of health, as in so many areas, partisanship does not help you. We all suffer these things to one degree or another. Our communities and our families all suffer from these things, and bowel cancer is certainly a very serious condition and, obviously, a very serious cancer which affects communities right around Australia.

It is the second most common cancer diagnosed in Australia in 2010, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer—14,860 new cases. In 2011, there were also almost 4000 deaths. This is a very serious cancer. One in 12 Australians are likely to develop it at some time over their lifetime. Men are slightly more likely to be diagnosed than women, but it does affect both sexes.

While no cancer is preventable, it is estimated that changes to diet and physical activity can reduce the incidence, and we heard some excellent contributions from the member for Ryan. It seems like a good diet and avoiding alcohol—or at least accepting it in moderation—are good for our health in so many areas. We know that age, health history and certain genetic factors do place people at risk of having bowel cancer.

Fifteen thousand Australians are detected with bowel cancer every year, including more than 1,000 who are under 50 at the time of detection. Twenty five per cent of all bowel cancers are shown to be linked to previous diagnoses in the family.

It is recommended that everyone above the age of 50 be screened every year for bowel cancer. If it is detected early—and this is critical—then 90 per cent of bowel cancers can be treated. The great tragedy at the moment is that fewer than 40 per cent of cases are actually detected early enough. The difficulty, with this widespread cancer, is that we are not having screenings early enough even though they are widely available. People do need to look for the signs: blood in the bowel movement, unexplained weight loss, persistent change in bowel habits and severe abdominal pain. And of course there are associated risk factors—alcohol consumption, dietary factors, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, family history and genetic susceptibility. Those things combined, obviously people need to see their general practitioner. A relationship with a general practitioner is a very important step to good overall health, and I would certainly encourage people to have that relationship so that they can raise what are sometimes embarrassing, or seemingly embarrassing, health related things with their general practitioner, things that do need to be raised.

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program was initiated by the Australian government in 2006 in partnership with state and territory governments. It helps detect bowel cancers early and reduce the number of Australians who die every year from this disease. So by 2020, the aim is to get all Australians aged 50 to 74 to be invited to screen once every two years. Patients will receive a screening invitation and a free screening test kit and other program information through the post around the time of their birthday. So they are sent this free, home-based screening kit, and once the bowel samples are collected, patients can send them off to a pathology laboratory in a reply paid envelope. Participation is voluntary but it is certainly recommended.

In my own home state, bowel cancer is the second most common cancer. It is something that certainly affects an ageing population, which South Australia has. I certainly commend those who brought the motion and amended the motion to the House. It is very important that we do pay attention to cancers which are prevalent, and that we take every action both through encouraging people in their own health and through their relationship with a general practitioner to get it early, and that way it can get fixed earlier.

Debate adjourned.

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