Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday was Teal Ribbon Day, an internationally recognised day to raise greater awareness of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancers in Australia. It is expected that around 1,400 Australian women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year. That equates to approximately one Australian woman being diagnosed every eight hours. Like all diseases, ovarian cancer does not just affect individuals; it affects families and communities.

In 2011, ovarian cancer was the most common cause of gynaecological cancer death among Australian women, affecting hundreds of families who lost a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter or an aunt. That is a significant cost to one, let alone hundreds of Australian families.

In 2007 this very parliament lost one of its own to ovarian cancer and I lost a good friend and colleague. From the time she set foot in parliament in 1996, senator Jeannie Ferris was a tireless campaigner for increasing awareness, particularly among women, of gynaecological cancers. She never stopped fighting to raise awareness and secure funding for research into gynaecological cancers.

As a senator for South Australia, she used her natural charm and influence across both sides of politics to initiate a far-reaching inquiry into gynaecological cancers, which resulted in increased funding. When asked publicly about her involvement in the inquiry, she said it was:

… a very clear example of Senate women coming together to work on an issue.

Her determination and persistence saw increases in funding for cancer research, including a federal grant of $1 million in February 2007 to Cancer Australia to establish a new centre for the study of women's cancers. Sadly, senator Jeannie Ferris passed away in April that very same year.

She was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer—often called 'the silent killer'—in 2005 but continued to work to raise awareness right up until her death. In 2013 a tribute to her work was created in the Jeannie Ferris Cancer Australia Recognition Award, which was established by Cancer Australia. This award recognises outstanding contributions to improving outcomes for women with gynaecological cancers.

This Friday, to continue the theme of Teal Ribbon Day, I am hosting a 'Morning Teal' for ovarian cancer in my electorate of Brisbane. We are extremely fortunate that our guest speaker at Friday's morning tea, Dr Michael Gattas, is one of the world's foremost experts on ovarian cancer. Dr Michael Gattas is a renowned clinical geneticist. I am grateful that he has made the time in his very busy schedule to help increase awareness and understanding of this disease. Our best prevention is greater awareness, understanding the disease and its symptoms, and encouraging other women to do the same. All proceeds from the event are going to Ovarian Cancer Australia to continue the great work that they do in educating and informing women about this disease.

I am dedicating the event to my late friend senator Jeannie Ferris, because increasing understanding and awareness of this disease and early detection were key areas of concern to her. Jeannie was particularly concerned about the fact that too few women failed to understand that Pap smear tests do not identify ovarian cancer. There is still no screening test for ovarian cancer.

According to Ovarian Cancer Australia, around one in five Australian women cannot name one symptom of the disease. This statistic is made more tragic when you realise that more than two-thirds of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are at an advanced stage, making successful treatment difficult. But it is never too late to help prevent another life lost to this disease. Indeed, it is never too late to educate ourselves about detection and prevention because the risk of developing ovarian cancer increases with age.

Ovarian cancer is not a silent disease because there are symptoms. Every Australian woman needs to be aware of these: abdominal or pelvic pain, increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often or urgently, feeling full after eating a small amount. There are plenty of avenues of support, and that is something that we women do best. I applaud the work of Ovarian Cancer Australia and their efforts to raise awareness of the disease so that, as we have done with cervical cancer, Australia can help lead the way in reducing the incidence and preserving the lives of more and more Australian women. Prevention begins with greater awareness.