Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to thank the thousands of people around Australia who last month joined the fight against ovarian cancer. February was Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative run by Ovarian Cancer Australia to highlight the symptoms of ovarian cancer, to honour the women who have died from the disease—approximately 1,000 per year—and also to raise funds for the organisation's programs.

Ovarian cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any women's cancer. Seventy-five per cent of women are diagnosed at an advanced stage, with no early test available, and only 43 out of every 100 women diagnosed are still alive five years later. But, as more and more people get involved in fundraising and increasing awareness, we get closer to changing this narrative.

Just last weekend, I joined hundreds of locals at the Legs for Eggs Walk in Redcliffe. This was organised by Karen Bull. The walk went from Suttons Beach to Scott's Point and back and there was a BBQ afterwards. It was a fantastic day. I had the chance to meet Karen Bull and her daughter last Friday at a lunch at the Belvedere Hotel, and I would like to thank her and the Our Village Foundation for organising this walk. Approximately 260 people participated and $7½ thousand was raised for ovarian cancer. Karen was one of the few women lucky enough to be diagnosed early, but she went through quite an ordeal in the process. Karen wanted me to stress that the average person can do amazing things. They can raise money and raise awareness, and every little bit can help save lives.

Last month I joined my colleagues, including the Prime Minister, at the Teal Ribbon Day Breakfast here in Parliament House to hear representatives from Ovarian Cancer Australia speak about their 25/25 Vision. The 25/25 Vision aims to increase the survival rate of women from 43 per cent to 54 per cent by 2025. Part of that vision is to raise awareness. Too many women are diagnosed at an advanced stage, often because they are not sure what to look out for. So what can women look for? They can look for abdominal or pelvic pain; increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating; needing to urinate often or urgently; for those in relationships, uncomfortable or painful sexual intercourse; and feeling full after eating a small amount.

If women can look out for these symptoms, the five-year rate will increase and we will see that 25/25 Vision achieved and it will make a difference in the lives of thousands of women.