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

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) November is Lung Health Awareness Month;

(b) 17 November 2015 is International Lung Cancer Awareness Day; and

(c) 18 November 2015 is World Chronic Obstructive Disease Day;

(2) also notes that:

(a) lung diseases such as asthma, lung cancer and influenza contribute to more than 10 per cent of the overall health burden in Australia; and

(b) three out of five Australian adults studied by the Lung Foundation Australia reported symptoms that put them at risk of contracting lung disease;

(3) recognises the personal and financial impact that lung disease has on patients; and

(4) acknowledges the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation for treating chronic lung diseases.

Australians are not fully aware of just how important their lung health is. The Australian Lung Foundation encourages everyone to just take one breath and celebrate the gift of breathing, because every time we take that one breath we are taking a breath of life. Lung health is overlooked by many Australians. We take it for granted when we take that one breath in and out, but it should not be taken for granted, because one in seven Australian deaths are because of lung disease each and every year, and Australians continue to ignore the signs of lung disease.

This month being lung awareness month, this parliament joins together to raise awareness of how important our lung health is. There is some key dates. Shine a Light's lung cancer awareness day is on 17 November. That is a day when we can reiterate the message around smoking, but it is wrong to say that every person that develops lung cancer develops it because of smoking. Ninety per cent of the men and 65 per cent of the women who develop lung cancer do so because of smoking. There is a stigma attached to lung cancer and I think there needs to be work done in that space because that stigma contributes to the high mortality rate in relation to lung cancer. World COPD Day awareness walks and events are on this month. That is something that members should encourage their constituents to be involved in. Asbestos Awareness Week is 23 to 27 November and I hope this parliament debates asbestos awareness during that week.

Lung disease resulted in more than 1.4 million hospital patient days in 2011. If we look at the stats from this year, because there has been a very high incidence of asthma, we will find that that figure is even greater. Approximately 14 per cent of all deaths each year in Australia are a result of lung disease. There is also an enormous economic burden associated with lung cancer. As I highlighted in my motion, lung disease impacts on a person both personally and financially. They are unable to work, unable to socialise, unable to be involved in activities with family or with sport. It is really important that we raise issues around lung awareness and make sure that people actually look for those signals.

As I mentioned, with the high level of lung disease in Australia, we need to look at ways that we can recognise and treat it. It is making sure that doctors are very aware of the symptoms, and making sure that Australians understand that, if they are suffering shortness of breath or if they are coughing up mucus or blood, they really need to talk to their doctor about it.

But there is something that helps a person lead a more normal life, and that is pulmonary rehabilitation. It is a comprehensive program for people with chronic lung disease, which is when people have symptoms of breathlessness and they are unable to perform daily activities. This program benefits people because they become much more physically active, it reduces breathlessness, it improves the quality of life, it improves mood and motivation, it improves knowledge of lung condition and it increases participation in everyday life activities. This is an option that will link people back into normality. It is not a cure, but it really helps people manage their lung condition. It is something that I believe governments should look to funding.

Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Shortland for raising this motion promoting lung health awareness, including November as Lung Health Awareness Month, together with 17 November as International Lung Cancer Awareness Day and 18 November as World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day.

The issues raised through these awareness events are of great importance, as one in seven deaths in Australia results from lung disease. This disease is the cause of over 275,000 hospitalisations annually, representing approximately three per cent of all hospitalisations. This equates to more than 1.4 million hospital patient days, and therefore represents a significant issue for our healthcare system to address. This issue is not limited to smokers—2.3 million Australians have asthma and 1.5 million Australians aged over 40 have some form of airflow limitation. Over 11,000 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. The most important thing we can do for all these people is to encourage early diagnosis—whether it is the four-year-old child with undiagnosed asthma or the long-term smoker suffering from breathlessness that could be a COPD or a malignant tumour.

Over the past few years I have been fortunate to work with and support the efforts of Lung Foundation Australia to promote awareness of this range of illnesses. Recently this included the auctioning of a charity item—two hours of tennis with the legendary Ken Rosewall—supported by me.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

This item had actually been auctioned for a charity at the Midwinter Ball and was purchased by my good friend Wes Cook from Boehringer Ingelheim, who then generously donated it for re-auction at the Lung Foundation of Australia's annual gala dinner. The bidding for this item, as you would expect, was magnificent. As it approached about $5,000 there were two very keen competitors and, not wanting to see either of theme lose, I came up with the great idea of doing two at $5,000 each, so we would raise $10,000 instead of $5,000. Then came the job of going to Ken and saying, 'Mate, you have to do two clinics, not just one.' We celebrated Ken's birthday last week—he turned 81, despite doing four hours of tennis one Saturday morning! What a great man.

More recently my office has worked with the Lung Foundation in the promotion of a new annual event called QUIT4october, a campaign championed by Lung Foundation Australian in partnership with the Association for Smoking Cessation Professionals and generously sponsored by Bennelong-based businesses Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. The City of Ryde in Bennelong was chosen as one of four pilot locations for this initiative. Following successful programs like Dry July, QUIT4october encourages smokers to have a break from smoking for the month of October. We are conscious this is a big ask with nicotine being such a addictive drug; however, if even one person learns through this program that they can control their smoking habit, then the campaign would be seen as a success.

Recently I have also written to the health minister in support of the Lung Foundation's application to the MSAC for pulmonary rehabilitation programs and follow-up pulmonary maintenance exercise programs for patients with chronic lung disease to be subsidised by Medicare Benefits Scheme. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an exercise program that is well documented as the most effective evidence-based intervention for improving outcomes for patients with chronic lung disease. This means that pulmonary rehabilitation patients are kept out of hospitals. Currently, pulmonary rehabilitation is conducted mainly in hospitals, and therefore is accessible to only about five per cent of the population, with only 260 programs to meet the needs of more than 750,000 patients. This has a particular impact on people located in regional areas.

Since my maiden speech in this place five years ago, I have spoken of the importance of exercise as a preventive medicine measure. Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your physical health. It is the single best thing you can do for your mental health. Exercising with diet will optimise your results. Exercising with friends or playing sport with friends will also give you social engagement and social health. My tip to everybody is to exercise, to diet and to do it with mates. Win, lose or draw, we will be better off.

Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to support the remarks of the member for Shortland, who moved this motion, and the member for Bennelong, who has also contributed to it. Their contributions are consistent with their support for health promotion initiatives and for raising awareness of public health issues, which they have been doing for quite some years now. Both the parliament and the broader Australian community are very much the beneficiaries of their work, and I congratulate them for that.

As they pointed out, November is Lung Health Awareness Month, with 17 November being International Lung Cancer Awareness Day and 18 November being World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day. Lung disease does not discriminate. It affects men, women, children, smokers, non-smokers and people who have never smoked. Lung disease is common and often underestimated.

The previous speakers gave the House some statistics, and I will continue that precedent. Lung disease affects more than 2.6 million people in Australia. More than 19,000 people die from a lung disease in Australia each year. One in seven Australians 40 years or older has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, known as COPD, which is the second highest cause of avoidable hospitalisation. Around 10,000 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and the latest projections are that this figure will increase by 40 per cent by the year 2020. Over 20 Australians die from lung cancer each day, which is more than breast, ovarian and prostate cancers combined. Lung disease such as asthma, lung cancer and influenza contribute to more than 10 per cent of the overall health burden in Australia. Three out of five Australian adults studied by Lung Foundation Australia reported symptoms that put them at risk of contracting lung disease.

I want to strongly commend the work of Lung Foundation Australia. They believe that research is one of the most effective ways to improve the prevention, detection, treatment and management of lung disease. They are dedicated to finding cures for different lung diseases through funding world-class lung research in Australia. They are investing in the future, having provided more than $4 million in the past few years to support research. They offer both consumer and professional education in the areas of lung health and respiratory or lung disease. These education programs include annual patient education days in capital cities and regional locations, online training resources, professional committees and forums and a wide range of literature, including a comprehensive website.

People who have chronic lung conditions are often less active and can lose their fitness and muscle strength. By exercising regularly, as the member for Bennelong pointed out, a person's fitness and muscle strength can be maintained or improved. Exercising for more than two hours per week, performing activities such as walking or cycling, can improve the health of people with chronic lung conditions and, as a result, people feel better and stay well. People who exercise regularly reduce their need for hospital admission. Walking is one of the most important aspects of an exercise program for respiratory health and should be combined with some weight or resistance based upper and lower limb exercises.

Lung Foundation Australia are calling on the federal government to increase life-saving research funding as part of November's international Lung Cancer Awareness Month. They point out that every day we breathe about 22,000 times. I have not counted, so I am indebted to them for their assistance in that regard! Most of us do not stop to think about our breathing, but it is something that we ought to be doing. It is time that Australians started taking the health of their lungs as seriously as they take the health of their heart, breasts or prostate, and Lung Health Awareness Month provides that opportunity. Lung Foundation Australia are at the forefront of this endeavour, and I congratulate them on this.

Lung Foundation Australia are calling for more money to go into lung cancer research to fight this disease, find better treatments and aim for a cure. They express concern that the survival rate in relation to lung cancer patients remains low. The five-year survival rate is presently about 14 per cent. Whereas survival rates for breast and prostate cancer have improved dramatically over the course of the past 25 years, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer patients remains low. Lung Foundation Australia believe that lung cancer survival rates will improve if more funding is allocated to lung cancer research.

Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to start by thanking the member for Shortland for this motion, which highlights the important issue of lung disease in Australia. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the member of Bennelong and other members here today who have raised lung disease awareness in their respective electorates.

I focused on one lung disease, cystic fibrosis, in my speech last year on Lung Health Awareness Month. I have had the great opportunity to meet and get to know a number of young people living with the condition through my involvement in Macarthur CF Swimathon, which has gone from strength to strength and raised over half a million dollars in its short history. There are over 80 people in Macarthur living with cystic fibrosis. I urge the community to support this fantastic cause, which will host a launch and auction night at Burnham Grove Estate on Friday, 12 February in preparation for the swimathon, which will be held on Saturday, 20 February at Wollondilly Leisure Centre.

November is Lung Health Awareness Month, and there are a number of significant dates including International Lung Cancer Awareness Day on 17 November and World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Day the following day, on 18 November. The Lung Foundation aims to ensure that lung health is a priority for all Australians and works to promote lung health among the wider community, patients and healthcare professionals. Lung disease indiscriminately affects Australians young or old, male or female, smokers or non-smokers, fit or unfit.

A report prepared by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research last year revealed that lung disease contributes to more than 10 per cent of the overall health burden in Australia. Mortality due to lung disease is significant, with 14 per cent of deaths, or more than one in seven, a result of lung disease. The report found that lung disease was a cause of 276,000 hospitalisations in 2011-12, and more than 1.4 million hospital patient days that year. However, many of us continue to ignore the signs and symptoms of lung disease such as breathlessness and coughing.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is progressive, long-term disease of the lung that causes shortness of breath and includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma. People who unknowingly have COPD may mistake their symptoms as a sign of ageing or a lack of fitness. Lung Foundation Australia estimates that half of the 1.4 million Australians that have COPD do not have a formal diagnosis and therefore are not taking important steps to slow down the progression of the disease. COPD is the second leading cause of avoidable hospital admissions and is incredibly costly. On average a COPD patient costs $5,500 per admission to hospital.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the most effective interventions for COPD and other chronic lung conditions. It is a comprehensive program for people with a chronic lung disease who have symptoms of breathlessness and a decreased ability to perform daily activities. It is tailored to a person's needs and ability so that they can get the best out of their physical and social wellbeing. The benefits of PR include improved physical fitness, reduced breathlessness, improved mood and motivation, increased participation in everyday activities and generally a better quality of life.

Since coming to office our government has worked hard to help tackle lung disease in this country. This year the Commonwealth listed the anti-lung-cancer drug crizotinib on the PBS, which costs $80,000 per patient if not subsidised.

Around 11,500 Australians are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and this figure is expected to rise by a further 21 per cent by the year 2020. Tragically, more than 8,600 Australians die each year due to lung cancer, and that is more than 23 people per day. For Aboriginal communities the problem of lung cancer is even worse, with Indigenous Australians twice as likely to die of lung cancer than the rest of the population. As part of the Australian-first national approach to Indigenous cancer care the Minister for Health, Hon. Sussan Ley, recently announced $350,000 to continue the Turnbull government's strong commitment to raising awareness and reducing rates of lung cancer in Indigenous communities. Due to the prevalence of lung disease and COPD in Australia, the public needs to be made more aware of the telltale signs of lung disease and the impacts it can have on a person's life and that of their family.

Lung Health Awareness Month is a time to recognise the importance of your lungs, and Macarthur is fortunate to have so many passionate and dedicated people advocating for sufferers of lung disease. In my electorate of Macarthur are some of the highest rates of asthma and lung disease in Sydney. Macarthur also has one of the highest rates of lung cancer in New South Wales. I encourage everyone to get involved in the great work that Lung Foundation Australia are doing to make our community more aware of the silent killer that is lung disease.

Debate adjourned.