Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to respond to this motion about menopause. From listening to Senator Hanson-Young and her comments with regard to this, I think that would have been the case probably about 50 or 60 years ago. I don't think it's so much the case these days that it's taboo or it's icky to talk about it. I think it's far from that. When we see television commercials about women having periods and going through it or buying the requirements that they need to deal with it, it goes back—I understand what the senator was saying with regard to how it used to be, but I think that's not the case these days. If we have issues and problems out there, it's the people themselves who need to go to the doctors and discuss it with the doctors. There is help out there if they want it.

You talked about women and their problems. Did you know that my doctor told me men also go through menopause? Men face this as well. Do we talk about men's health issues? No, we don't. Men face menopause as well—and that's from a professional doctor who deals with hormones. So it's not just women but also men and the impact that menopause does have on women when they go through that period of time in their life. I think that needs to be spoken about. Women need to be made aware of it and that, if they are having emotional issues or other problems, it is due to the changing hormones. It's what menopause is all about.

But to say that it's icky and people don't want to talk about it—I think that's a load of rubbish. I think they do. Women are more aware of it. We have our doctors. We're more aware today of what's going on with our bodies and what's happening than we ever were before.

Ovarian cancer, yes. It is horrific, and the problem is that it gets to that stage because women don't go and have check-ups. It's the same with men with prostate cancer. They don't go and have their check-ups. It's people themselves who are a lot to blame if they don't go and have their check-ups. But it's their choice. It's everyone's choice how they want to deal with their health issues.

If you're going to have an inquiry into this, by all means do. Let's open it up. Let's talk about men's health as well, right across the board. Too many times I hear it's all about women. We forget about the other half of our population, the men in this country, and what they are going through, what they're dealing with. We have a minister for women. Is there a minister for men? No, there isn't. Everyone completely forget all about them, and I hear about it all the time. You have your own sons. The Greens can make their comments and denigrate men as if they're man-haters, the fact is that a lot of them are married to men. A lot of them have sons. They are all there, but they laugh at the fact that I'm talking about men. But I will stand up and I will support anyone that needs that help and that support.

In relation to this motion, I think it's again fearmongering that's going on here, saying it's icky to talk about it, girls aren't allowed to talk about it and there is fear of periods. What a load of rubbish. It's a fact of life. They teach it at schools. We know what's going on. To think that it's taboo—it's not taboo at all. It's quite common out there for girls to talk about it.

Question agreed to.