Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's now almost a year since the Senate select committee report on cancers with low survival rates was tabled. In September I wrote to the Minister for Health, Mr Hunt, to remind him that the government's response to the report is well overdue. I received the minister's response a month ago, which anticipated that the government's response would be finalised in the coming weeks. I'm disappointed that it is still not forthcoming, and I hope we will see it soon. Over 300 submissions were received by the committee, and 117 witnesses appeared at public hearings, many of whom bravely fought back tears to tell their personal stories. I'm still waiting to hear how the government intends to address a number of important recommendation of the report, including that low-survival-rate cancers be identified as one of the National Health and Medical Research Council's national health priorities and the development of an Australia-wide strategy to increase the survival rate of these cancers to 50 per cent by 2027, as well as various recommendations to improve patients' access to clinical trials. Patients with cancers with low survival rates are looking for hope. By failing to respond to this report, this government is denying them the hope they so desperately seek and deserve. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.