Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes that:

(1) Melanoma March takes place this month and will involve hundreds of Australians around the country participating in community walks to raise awareness of melanoma;

(2) 12,500 Australians are diagnosed with melanoma each year and 1,650 of those are diagnosed with advanced melanoma;

(3) advanced melanoma kills more than 1,500 Australians each year—this is one death every six hours;

(4) melanoma is:

(a) the most common cancer in young Australians aged 15 to 39 and those diagnosed with advanced melanoma have a median survival of only 8 to 9 months;

(b) estimated to be the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian males in 2014 (7,440 cases), after prostate and colorectal cancer; and

(c) also estimated to be the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian females (5,210 cases), after breast and colorectal cancer; and

(5) advanced melanoma costs hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

This motion relating to melanoma is very important and very timely. We have just heard from the member for Swan. In a very significant speech, he tabled the report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Skin cancer in Australia: our national cancer. It details what we are dealing with when it comes to melanoma. As the report's title shows, melanoma is Australia's national cancer.

Overexposure to ultraviolet light causes 95 per cent of melanoma, which is fairly clear proof that prevention is the key to avoiding it. The best way to prevent melanoma is to prevent your skin from the sun. Despite one of the most successful health campaigns in Australia's history, it is important that Australians always remember: slip, slop, slap. We have to make sure that we continue to remind them to do so. And that is why Melanoma March is such an important event in this nation. From 22 February until 29 March, participants across the nation are uniting to take action by being part of Melanoma March. Now in its fourth year, Melanoma March is an Australia-wide fundraising and awareness campaign which brings communities around Australia together to march for a cure.

Melanoma March started in 2012, by a Sydney man who lost his 18-year-old son to melanoma. In 2014, over 6,000 people marched for a cure in 16 locations across Australia. Last year they raised $550,000 and this year their goal is to raise $1 million. This year, 23 events will be held, and already over $600,000 has been raised. Over the time that it has been running, Melanoma March has now raised over $1.3 million for research projects that help us towards the goal of lessening the impact of melanoma on the community and ultimately creating a future free of melanoma.

Each year melanoma kills more Australians than the national road toll. That is what we are dealing with here. With Australia having the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, awareness campaigns like Melanoma March are vital in spreading awareness and educating all Australians about the risks associated with melanoma. Funds raised from this year's Melanoma March will assist melanoma researchers around Australia to develop the next generation of treatment options. This new initiative is phase 2 of the genome project, and it is this type of project that we need to accelerate the development of cures within Australia.

I commend this motion to the House, and I encourage every member to support it.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. This is a timely motion, because it comes on the back of the tabling of a report of the Standing Committee on Health, Skin cancer in Australia: Our national cancer. It is worth recounting some of the principal findings of this report, because melanoma is, indeed, known as Australia's national cancer.

Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world. One Australian dies from advanced melanoma every six hours. Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer. Current statistics indicate that two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70. More Australians will die from this disease this year than will die from transport accidents.

Despite its prevalence, melanoma is often misunderstood. There is a common misunderstanding that skin cancer is caused by all exposure to sunlight. It is actually caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It usually occurs on parts of the body that have been overexposed to UV rays, but it can occur on any part of the body. People with fair skin, a high mole count, a family history of melanoma and a pattern of getting sunburnt throughout life, are at greater risk of getting melanomas.

Early signs of melanoma are changes to the shape, colour or appearance of a new lump anywhere on the skin. There is a significant difference between early-stage melanoma and the far more deadly, advanced melanoma. Early-stage melanoma consists of a malignant tumour that has not spread. If melanoma is found early, and if it is removed completely, then the chance of cure is high. If melanoma spreads to other organs and tissues it has reached stage 3 or 4 and is classified as advanced melanoma. Once someone is diagnosed with advanced melanoma the average time of survival is just eight to nine months. That is why public awareness of this type of skin cancer is so important. Catching it early can save lives. Early diagnosis is critical for survival.

Advanced melanoma costs Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Yet, almost all cases of skin cancer are preventable. Thankfully, statistics show that primary prevention campaigns in Australia are working. People are wearing sunscreen and protective clothing, and are limiting their exposure to damaging ultraviolet rays. People are getting new moles checked, and are looking out for existing moles that have changed shape.

We have also developed a number of life-saving treatments. Advanced melanoma can be treated by a range of therapies, including surgery, radiation therapy, biological therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. New treatments are being developed that boost the immune system, and that target the genes that are involved in melanoma occurrence and growth. Australia has made great advances in preventing, and treating skin cancers, but there is definitely room for improvement. It is important for Australia to continue to lead global research into skin cancer. We need to work towards discovering new and improved treatments.

But the core of the motion before us today is Melanoma March. Once a year, Australians unite to take action against Australia's national cancer. People in the community can play a crucial role in raising awareness and funds to support the fight against this disease by getting involved with Melanoma March. The Melanoma March is an initiative of Melanoma Institute Australia. It was first established in 2012 by a man from Sydney who, tragically, lost his 18-year-old son to melanoma. He first held a local event to honour the memory of those that have died from melanoma.

The Melanoma March now takes place across Australia to raise awareness and funding for melanoma research. Sixteen locations around Australia participate in the campaign. Last year over 6,000 people marched and raised $550,000 for melanoma research. Funds raised from Melanoma March contribute to projects of national significance. Importantly, funds raised have gone towards a world-first clinical trial led by Melanoma Institute Australia that may benefit patients with advanced melanoma—specifically, melanoma brain tumours. Half of all patients diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma will develop brain tumours at some point during their illness, so research is clearly crucial

Sadly, most patients with brain tumours will die within four months and there are limited treatments currently available. The clinical trial will investigate an exciting new avenue of research for the treatment of brain tumours that are caused by advanced melanoma. Its results may offer hope for patients around the world and clearly shows the importance of the Melanoma March in Australia. I thank the member for Wannon for this motion and I commend it to the House.

Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I associate myself with the comments of the members for Wannon and Gellibrand. I commend my colleague the member for Wannon for this motion on the Melanoma March, which takes place this month. We are a sunburnt country—that is the affectionate term we use to describe the rusted earth of the outback, as well as our sun-worshipping culture.

When I grew up in the 1950s and sixties, we did not know of the dangers of sun exposure that we know now about. I was just one of the lucky ones, and my school peers often suffered the harsh consequences of serious dermal trauma due to an excess of UV exposure. Peeling the skin off one's back, we would take delight in knowing that we were making the most of the Perth summer. But with that, what we did not know, that the we now know about, is the causes of cancer and that the damage the sun can do to our skin leaves long term consequences. It should be enough of a deterrent to sunbaking for all Australians. We hear the same message again and again loud and clear in the media: there is truly nothing healthy about a tan. Nevertheless, the message obviously is not loud enough. According to Cancer Australia, cancer is estimated to be the most prominent disease in Australia. In fact, one death from melanoma occurs every six hours, and melanoma is truly the health cancer of our society.

Most Australians know someone who has been touched by cancer at some point in their lives, or have experienced cancer themselves. I currently know, personally, of six people, including a former staff member, who have been diagnosed with a melanoma and received treatment. I grew up with a further five people who have sadly lost their lives to this disease. Melanoma is a vicious, traumatising disease and it takes no prisoners. Melanoma does not discriminate with age, nor gender, nor race, nor ethnicity. We are all susceptible.

Melanoma is one of the most deadly cancers, and is most likely to affect 15 to 39 year olds. It has the fastest-growing incidence rate of any form of cancer, and now ranks as the third most common form of cancer in Australia. Australia experiences one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, and this puts it in a unique position. Western Australia is second only to Queensland in incidence rates. There are over 1,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in Western Australia each year, and of those 1,000 patients it is estimated that approximately 180 will lose their life to the disease.

My local Lions Club in WA, who do a tremendous job as volunteers, regularly run cancer screening drives. In fact, they recently conducted one in my electorate, at Guildford. But the challenge is in the cure and the prevention, and I want my community to get behind fighting this insidious disease. Together, we can raise the money to fund melanoma research and to help those who already suffer from the disease.

I am pleased that there was, under tragic circumstances, the establishment of the Melanoma March, because the march and does two things. Not only does it raise money for research but it heightens the community's awareness of the prevalence and nature of melanoma, because any parent who loses a son or a daughter to melanoma is affected. It was tremendous to see this businessman in Sydney establish the Melanoma March because it has now grown into a national initiative. Last year, with 6,000 people marching nationwide for a cure, and raising the amount that they did for melanoma research, it heightened the community's awareness of a particular cancer that is challenging to recover from, although, if it is caught early, you can recover from melanoma.

This year the goal is to raise $1 million. I invite the Perth community to take part as Australia unites to fight this devastating disease and to raise awareness of Australia's national cancer: melanoma. The march was held on Sunday, 22 March, and was open for everyone, as participants could pace themselves at different speeds.

The Melanoma March in Perth commenced at McCallum Park, and at the end of the event marchers enjoyed light refreshments and entertainment suitable for the whole family. With Perth having the second highest rate of melanoma in the nation, I was glad to see the great turnout for this year's march in my home state. Just remember: don't forget your sunscreen and slip, slop, slap. I commend this motion to the House.

Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate the previous speakers, and the member for Wannon for bringing this motion to the House. It is a very important motion and obviously a very important issue. The previous member talked about a sunburnt country and the changing attitudes to the sun. I think we can all remember being sunburnt at one time or another. I remember getting my shins terribly burnt one swimming carnival when I was at Kapunda High, and I was not all that keen on replicating that experience. It always sticks in my mind, and I think that most Australians at one time or another have been badly sunburnt. I suppose that is a lesson for us all.

This motion brings a pretty important issue, the march for melanoma. Getting the community out there and bringing up awareness is a very, very important issue, and having people participate in that and raise money raises community awareness and it also means that governments of all persuasions have a slightly easier job in partnering with community organisations, particularly on research.

The critical thing for South Australians to remember here is that the march is held in Henley Beach. It is a small four kilometre walk, something that the community can get involved with, for what is a very, very good cause. In 2011—and these are the most recent figures we have—there were 702 new melanoma cases in South Australia identified and 102 deaths, tragically. We know that it is responsible for eight per cent of all youth deaths in Australia and that it is the most common form of cancer in Australians aged 15 to 39.

So it is a terrible burden on those individuals and a very important issue for our health system. It is interesting to note that men are twice as likely as women to die from melanoma. That is probably down to accessing general practitioners; men are notorious for letting things slide, in terms of their own health. That is something we all have to be cognisant of, because, in terms of skin cancer, leaving it—letting it slide not getting it checked—is actually one of the worst things you can do. That is why when we have debates on other things—access to general practitioners, making sure people do not have barriers in the way of them seeing a general practitioner are important things for all of us to be cognisant of.

The key messages are the same ones of my youth. I remember the ads coming on—slip, slop, slap—and they had some sort of cartoon bird, I think, singing a song. That has got a lot more sophisticated; it is now, 'Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide'—seeking shade and sliding on sunglasses are the important additions. They are important measures to make sure that people do not get skin cancers.

If moles look different—if they change colour, if there is a new mole after you are 25—you really do need to get that checked quickly. Obviously, we are not always as individuals in the best position to judge what is dangerous and what is not. And seeing a GP is the best course of action.

These events, as with so many other events in the health sector, are basically formed around personal experience. In this case it is a man losing his 18-year-old son to melanoma. It is important that that initial act of care and love does not get lost. It is important that we continue these events. With should all contribute as best we can to the goal, which is to raise $1 million in 2015 to fund a research project of national importance to help find better cures and better treatments for what is a very debilitating set of cancers that Australians in particular face, and South Australians particularly, because we do live indeed in a sunburnt country.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the member for Wannon's motion on melanoma. As we know, the word 'cancer' is such a simple word but one that will change people's lives forever. It is a word that gives you that dreaded sinking feeling right in the pit of your stomach and often an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. It is Australia's leading cause of the total burden of disease and, unfortunately it has become more of an inevitability in our society. It has perhaps become the rule rather than the exception that you or someone you know will be diagnosed with cancer.

I do not often discuss my family's personal life in this place but I can say that my wife Cheryle has experienced inconceivable heartbreak from cancer. It goes against nature that a parent buries their child. That is an experience that no family wants to go through. It is the most heart-wrenching loss that I do not pretend to understand; I can only empathise. I believe it is simply incomparable to any other loss.

Today the motion before the House focuses on a particular form of cancer, melanoma, which I am also very familiar with because I have just finished conducting an inquiry into its prevalence and treatment, with my committee colleagues, as the chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health. I note that four of my committee colleagues are speaking on this motion.

The member for Wannon must have been watching the movements closely on that committee because I am pleased to inform members that the inquiry is now complete, and I just tabled it in this chamber about half an hour ago. It is an important report which details a number of recommendations for future preventative efforts. I encourage all members in this place to not only endorse it but to play their part in implementing its recommendations through the parliamentary processes and in their own communities.

It is this concept of raising awareness of melanoma that I believe is the most important step each one of us can take, because prevention and early treatment is the No. 1 thing I believe will assist in reversing this concept of cancer being the rule rather than the exception in Australian society, and I encourage all members to encourage their constituents in the melanoma march if they are able to.

I would like to take a moment to read my chair's forward for this report, as I believe it succinctly outlines what skin cancer means to Australia. As members know, there are two broad types of skin cancers that can occur in humans, melanoma and non-melanoma. In this forward I state:

Skin cancer is often referred to as Australia's 'national cancer'. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world and current statistics indicate that two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70, yet 95 per cent of all skin cancers are preventable.

That is a staggering number of people who could be saved from hearing that frightening word 'cancer', particularly given that, as the member for Wannon's motion states, '12,500 Australians are diagnosed with melanoma each year and 1,650 of those are diagnosed with advanced melanoma', which 'kills more than 1,500 Australians each year'—or one death every six hours.

I also highlight that as identified in the committee's report, 'in 2010 there were 11,405 new cases of melanoma reported and it is estimated that in 2020 there will be 17,570 new cases of melanoma, which represents a 54 per cent increase'.

As I previously said, prevention is vital in reducing this rate of melanoma incidence. With this in mind, I would like to highlight the work of Cancer Council Australia in implementing sun-smart campaigns such as 'Slip, Slop, Slap!' and their financial contribution toward research for new treatments.

Clinical trials are also an important part of this process, and a close friend of mine was recently part of one. I would like to briefly tell members her story. Dianne Richardson was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and had a mutant gene called BRAF V600. Because she had this mutant gene, she was able to be included in a trial by GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, using a range of treatments, which I am pleased to inform the House saw Dianne's melanomas disappear after 23 weeks, according to her husband Colin.

Unfortunately, approximately a year after starting this trial, one of the melanomas in Dianne's chest region regrew, and this eventually spread to her brain. I am very saddened to say that in December last year Dianne passed away from this disease, and I once again send my condolences to Colin and his family.

Colin was Dianne's rock during the process. He came before the committee and presented his evidence to the committee in Perth to share Dianne's story and highlight the lack of awareness of this disease within the community and the need for regular screenings to ensure early detection. Colin also made a grand plea for new medicines to be listed on the PBS. I thank Colin once again for his contribution to this inquiry process and reiterate his call for greater awareness. This month melanoma marches, which aim to do just that, will be taking place all across Australia. I encourage all members to promote this initiative and support this motion.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my neighbour the member for Fowler.

Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the motion moved by the member for Wannon because indeed I am one of the fortunate ones. I am one of those people who were diagnosed with a melanoma many years ago. I was fortunate in that my wife is a pharmacist and noticed an unusual spot on the back of my leg, somewhere that I would not have noticed it otherwise. It is not somewhere you would normally look when you are having a shower or bath or whatever it might be. I thank her, and I will be thankful till the day I move on, for her identifying this as something that she thought was worth getting somebody more qualified to inspect. Indeed, that person was my father's former GP partner, Neville Ludbey, who had a particular interest in dermatology. I will be eternally grateful for the fact that he said, 'I don't like that,' immediately did a biopsy and sent it away. Indeed, it was a live unit, and in the next few days I had a plastic surgeon remove a larger area of that melanoma from the back of my leg. It was quite an innocuous thing. It was a small, red spot, slightly raised on the skin, but with a darker red centre. My wife identified that. Like so many here—I note the member for Fowler's comments—we all played cricket; we all got sunburnt. I played cricket in a regular, competitive fashion until well into my mid-30s. It just was not the thing. Yes, it is true, even in Tasmania we go to the beach. It was a different time, when we did not think of those consequences. We were the products of our parents, I guess. It does make you realise—and I am one of the fortunate ones—that life is short.

It was not so much the process: once it had been identified and was a live unit, it was taken out. I am a pretty take-it-as-it-comes type of person, but always, in the back of your mind, there is the risk that you will find another melanoma at some other point. I was one of the fortunate ones, because that was 12 years ago and, touch wood, that is not the case anymore. I look at my sons, I look at my boys, and I look at the way my wife and I now deal with them. They are both fair skinned, and they have been brought up in a very different place in terms of the way they look after themselves in relation to their exposure to the sun. So I would just say, if you see a strange new mole on your skin, or an old mole that has started to change, be sure to see your doctor and have it checked. Find out what to look for and, particularly, do a self-examination or have somebody that you are close to look for suspicious things.

I would also like to mention Di Mason. There is not a Melanoma March that I am aware of in Tasmania this month, but late last year Di Mason established Melanoma Tasmania. That was as a result of her mother passing away from the disease about 10 years ago. Annually, between 200 and 300 Tasmanians are diagnosed with melanoma and between 30 and 50 people die. Melanoma is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in Australia. On average 30 Australians will be diagnosed with melanoma every day, and more than 1,200 will die from the disease each year. It is a serious disease. It has a higher prevalence in men, and the reasons for that have been discussed by others here. I think we all understand today that prevention is absolutely better than cure and the things that we should do in terms of wearing hats, covering our skin and, if it is uncovered, using an appropriate type of sunscreen. These are the things that we do understand.

I think no-one in the debate here has mentioned solariums. Why would you do it? Why on earth would you do it? I thank the member for Wannon for bringing this important subject to the attention of the House and this important month that is Melanoma March.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I join with all the previous speakers in this debate in adding my thanks to the member for Wannon for encouraging people to become involved in Melanoma March. It is a really apt time to remember and think about the impact that melanoma has in our country. It is also very timely that this motion is being debated today, as we have already had tabled this evening the Standing Committee on Health's latest report Skin Cancer in Australia: Our National Cancer.

As a member of the health committee, I have heard a lot about melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. I think it is really important to put on the record the background in relation to melanoma. Stage 4 melanoma has a very, very low survival rate. In 2009 the one-year survival rate was only 30 per cent. With advances in medical research today, the survival rate is going up to 80 per cent. There are new drugs, new research coming into play all the time. Australia is actually a leader in the research into melanoma. Half the patients diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma will develop brain metastases at some point during their illness; 20-25 per cent will already have those when they are first diagnosed.

The highest incidence of melanoma in the world is in Australia. As with the name of the report that was tabled earlier today, it is often called our national cancer. There are around 12,500 new cases diagnosed each year, and one person will die from melanoma every six hours. Melanoma is the most common cancer in young Australians, affecting more individuals aged 15-39 than any other cancer. While 90 per cent of people with melanoma and skin cancers are able to be cured by having the primary melanoma removed, the cancer spread is in the other 10 per cent.

It is really important to put on the record that the best protection, as members in this House have already said, is to stay covered, to use sunscreen and to limit your exposure to the sun. In addition to that, it is really important that you know your body. Check your body regularly to see if you have any changes to your skin, anything that could possibly be melanoma, and if you are worried go and see your doctor. It is important, vitally important, that you have early diagnosis of any melanoma. If the melanoma is diagnosed early then you have a very good chance of avoiding the more sinister consequences. It was really pleasing to hear the member for Lyne talking about his experience with melanoma—the fact that his wife encouraged him to go along and have that melanoma looked at and have it removed and the fact that he has made a full recovery. That was because of early intervention, early diagnosis. It is vitally important that that happens.

In our inquiry into skin cancer, a number of really good initiatives were recommended. We recognised models throughout the country. Organisations such as Cricket Australia and Surf Life Saving Australia are not only making changes but are leading the change. Eighteen months ago I held a skin cancer check in my electorate, and four cases of melanoma were detected. It is one of those cancers that people do not notice, but, on the other hand, it is a cancer from which, if you take the right action at the right time, you can ensure recovery. With the research that is taking place at the moment, I believe there are going to be more and more successes in the area of melanoma recovery.

Debate adjourned.