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

I take great pleasure in rising to speak on this motion and congratulate the member for Kingston on bringing it to the House. November was Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and earlier this year the Lung Foundation Australia came to this parliament and gave a presentation to all members. That really reinforced the fact that we should be thinking about lung cancer and lung disease, and this motion reminds us of just how common it is. In 2011 lung cancer was the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia after prostate cancer, bowel cancer and melanoma. In 2009 there were 10,193 new cases of lung cancer, and in 2020 it is estimated that there will be nearly 14,000 people expected to be diagnosed with it.

What these facts establish is that lung cancer is a very significant cause of illness in Australia. It is a disease that really needs to be addressed. There are a number of risk factors associated with lung cancer. Obviously the most commonly known risk factor is smoking. By quitting smoking, after five years a person can have halved their chance of getting lung cancer. It is also important to note that making changes to your lifestyle—diet, exercise, reducing alcohol—also helps address issues associated with the risk factors of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is not only caused by smoking. There can also be a number of other environmental issues that contribute to lung cancer: passive smoking, radiant exposure, occupational exposure and air pollution. A family history of lung cancer also contributes to lung cancer. Previous lung disease such as lung fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and pulmonary tuberculosis also increases a person's risk of developing lung cancer. So it is not an open-and-shut case.

On 2011 figures, only 14 per cent of sufferers from this cancer live past the first five-year period. So Cancer Australia has been working with affected families, as has the Lung Foundation, in raising awareness. GPs and other professionals have also helped with the diagnosis, treatment and care of lung cancer patients. As the member for Kingston mentioned, it is really important to get an early diagnosis and it is also very important not to stigmatise those people that are living with lung cancer or have been diagnosed with lung cancer.

The rate of teenage smoking in New South Wales has dropped significantly. In 1984 about 27 per cent of teenagers smoked in New South Wales, and in 2008 that had dropped as low as 8.6 per cent. The proportion of teenagers in New South Wales who have never smoked increased from 32 per cent to 75 per cent in 2008, and the best way to reduce the rate of smoking is never to smoke. Increases in the cost of cigarettes, advertising bans, public funding campaigns and, of course, the plain packaging legislation that passed through the last parliament have all been very important measures to reduce lung cancer. Governments not accepting political donations from cigarette companies is another important message. I would like to invite members to join the Lung Foundation parliamentary friends group, which will be established over the next couple of weeks, because this is a very important message that goes out into our communities, saying that we as parliamentarians are supportive of good lung health.

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