Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I indicate that I will be adding my name and that of Senator Moore to this motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Bilyk, Polley and Moore, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness among Australian women of the symptoms of ovarian cancer,

(ii) that each year 1 400 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and more than 1 000 will die from the disease – that is one woman every 8 hours, and

(iii) with concern, That the prognosis for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is generally poor due to the advanced stage of most ovarian cancers at the time of diagnosis;

(b) acknowledges that there is no screening program or detection test for ovarian cancer, and That the Pap smear will not detect the disease;

(c) recognises that:

(i) ovarian cancer is not a silent disease and that all women experience symptoms, even in the early stages of the cancer, and

(ii) the four most common symptoms are:

  (A) abdominal or pelvic pain,

  (B) increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating,

  (C) needing to urinate often or urgently, and

  (D) difficulty eating or feeling full quickly;

(d) understands that every Australian woman needs to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer; and

(e) notes the need for greater focus on education and additional research funding to help Australian scientists to find early detection markers and more effective treatments for this disease.

Question agreed to.