Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to support the Cancer Council's campaign which advocates for the expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to include mandatory testing every two years for those aged 50 and over and for this to be made available in the 2012-13 budget. Bowel cancer imposes the greatest economic burden on our health system of any cancer, with estimates that bowel cancer treatment expenditure is around $l billion a year, most of it in hospital and pharmaceutical costs. Bowel cancer also kills around 4,000 Australians every year. That is more than any other cancer apart from lung cancer. It is a cancer that is prevalent throughout the community and one whose early detection is critical for survival. It is one of those cancers that can be treated if diagnosed in the very early stages.

In my time here I have supported efforts to raise awareness and, indeed, to secure funding from government for screening and preventative programs for a number of cancers. I have been particularly active on breast cancer and ovarian cancer. In fact, my very first private member's motion in this place, in 2002, was to call for breast prostheses for women who have had mastectomies following breast cancer to be rebated under Medicare. At the time I was shocked to learn that women were resorting to padding filled with birdseed as an alternative because they could not afford the expense of a breast prosthesis. To illustrate my point, I brought a breast prosthesis into the chamber. The member for Scullin was in the chair, and I well recall his reaction to this prop, but he allowed me the opportunity to make my point. The public reaction to the news that women used birdseed in their bras—which later became the basis of the campaign they waged to secure a rebate from Medicare—or were even given re-used breast prostheses from women who had passed away was such that the then shadow minister for health, the honourable Stephen Smith, promised to fund a nationally dedicated program for breast prostheses. Labor implemented that program when we came into government in 2007.

I stand here again this evening to raise awareness about bowel cancer and the need for early detection. Despite all efforts to broaden awareness, it remains one of the least talked about cancers, especially amongst non-English-speaking communities. The test to detect this type of cancer is very simple. The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program involves the provision of a kit known as the faecal occult blood kit, which allows individuals to test for early signs of cancer in their stools in the privacy of their own homes.

At the moment the kit, which all Australians receive upon turning 50—I myself have received one of these—receives only a 38 per cent return. And yet it has the capacity to prevent up to a third of bowel cancer deaths in the screening population—the over-50s. It is a very easy-to-use kit. I will not pull it totally apart but, for the benefit of the House, I will say that it has a number of little instruments in it and directions which allow people to self-test and then to send the kit away for examination. When I turned 50 I used that year to speak to my electorate and inform them that upon turning 50 the Australian government sends you a birthday present. That birthday present is this bowel cancer screening kit. Everyone who receives it should take the opportunity to complete it because it could save their lives.

The introduction of a national screening program to detect bowel cancer in people without symptoms was a 2004 election commitment from both Labor and the coalition. Seven-and-a-half years later, the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program remains restricted to a one-off test for people turning 50, 55 and 65 rather than a test every two years for everyone aged 50 and over as recommended by the government's own National Health and Medical Research Council. This evening I want to encourage the government to pick up this very important issue and to make funding available for screening for bowel cancer for all Australians over the age of 50.

The SPEAKER: Order! It being past 10.30 pm the debate is interrupted. At this stage I will just give notice to all honourable members that in future I will strictly enforce the adjournment of debate at the time provided for in the standing orders. I have endeavoured to be benevolent by giving all honourable members their five minutes. In future, however, I will strictly enforce the standing orders with respect to the time for adjournment.

House adjourned at 22:32