Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a short time ago, I attended the launch of Parliamentary Friends of Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness. There I got to hear many of the stories of people who are living with melanoma and skin cancer, and also stories of those people who had undergone some significant treatment.

While we all love our sunburnt country, we don't love the fact that Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world. Melanoma is the third-most-common cancer in Australia and is the most common cancer in those aged 20 to 39. Last year, it was expected that over 17,000 new cases would be diagnosed.

Summer officially finishes in a few short weeks, and there will have been hundreds of thousands of Australians who got sunburnt in recent months. So it's worth repeating the sun safety message: 'Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide'—slip on some sun-protective clothing, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade and slide on sunglasses. Sun protection is required when the UV index is three and above, which is all year round in Queensland and can even be from as early as 7.20 am in summer.

I've long been an advocate for sun safety, and I encourage everyone who's listening to be forever vigilant. Have regular skin checks and see your doctor if you notice any changes in between checks.