Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the last day of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a month that is incredibly important to many Australians and is led by Ovarian Cancer Australia. Ovarian cancer is Australia's deadliest female cancer, with over 1,500 Australian women diagnosed each year. Sadly, despite all the work in recent years, it still has a five-year survival rate of only 49 per cent, and, tragically, more than 1,000 Australian women die each year. Currently there is no definitive screening program. Symptoms are often confused with other health conditions, which results in advanced-disease diagnosis, making it even harder to treat.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month sees the wearing of teal ribbons, and the teal colour has been the inspiration for the Morning Teal events that are held across Australia. These events and this month have particular significance to me. I hold a Morning Teal each year in recognition of the efforts of my predecessor in this Senate, the late Senator Jeannie Ferris, who died in office of ovarian cancer. Jeannie was a determined advocate for ovarian cancer awareness and made a great contribution to this cause through the Senate inquiry work and advocacy work that she did before passing away. The annual event I conduct is a way to honour Jeannie's legacy, while supporting the critical ongoing work of many women and their families affected by this terrible disease as well as the enormous efforts made by Ovarian Cancer Australia and their supporters.

On 16 February, with the support of the Adelaide University, I held my own Morning Teal at the university in their magnificent medical school. Members of the community along with students from different schools attended. We heard the resilient and amazing story of Renata Potoczky's battle with ovarian cancer. Like many survivors, she steps forward to support this event, as do the family members of those who tragically have not survived. We also heard from Adelaide University research fellow Dr Carmela Ricciardelli, who detailed her inspirational work in new approaches for early diagnosis and treatment of advanced stage and chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer. I pay tribute to all those in this work.