Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning a number of members and senators attended a presentation by Osteoporosis Australia. I know that osteoporosis is of concern to a great many people within the electorate of Cowan. I would like to thank Professor Ego Seeman, Dr Kerin Fielding, Professor Peter Ebeling and CEO of Osteoporosis Australia Naseema Sparks for the presentation this morning.

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects a lot of people in Australia. It is a condition where the bones become fragile and brittle and fracture much more easily than normal bones. In Australia, half of all women and one-third of men over 60 will have a fracture due to osteoporosis. It has been estimated that this costs $1.9 billion a year in direct costs to this country. It is estimated that, for fractures that do not occur, there is a saving of between $16,000 and $17,000. So there is a lot at stake. In 2007 there were 21,000 hip fractures, and that certainly demonstrates the impact on this country.

I just mentioned the proportion of people who suffer from the condition. It is estimated that 20 per cent of the population—2.2 million people—in this country have osteoporosis. Of those, half a million are men. A risk factor for this is family history. Obviously age is involved as well. There are also negative factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and a diet lacking in calcium. More people need to take responsibility for their own lifestyles. They need to improve calcium consumption—1,000 milligrams a day is recommended for all of us, and 1,300 milligrams for post menopausal women and men over 60. Vitamin D and load-bearing exercise will also help. There seems to be more work required with the professional culture to make sure scans are considered more often by GPs and other medical professionals. Bone density testing is also required. I am greatly concerned about osteoporosis. There is more that all of us could do as individuals. We need to keep a focus on osteoporosis in the future.