Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This week, I was honoured to meet with representatives from the Never2Young campaign from Bowel Cancer Australia. Bowel cancer is not something many of us want to think about, especially when we are young and living relatively healthful, vibrant and active lives, yet it is the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 54. Each year, more than 1,700 Australians under 50 are diagnosed, and risk before 50 has more than doubled since 2000. Younger Australians are now two to three times more likely to develop bowel cancer than their parents' generation. Too often it is detected late, which means tougher treatment and greater impacts on health, wellbeing, fertility and everyday life. These statistics are real people—mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and colleagues, including in my electorate of Griffith.

Kaz, from my community in Griffith, is one of them, and I was pleased to catch up with her this week as part of the Never2Young campaign. At just 36, she was diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer. With few symptoms, it was a routine blood test that revealed her illness. Kaz endured a gruelling nine-hour surgery and months of chemotherapy. Today, she is, thankfully, considered curative and on the path to recovery. Kaz told me without that blood test she may not be here today. Her bravery prompted me to book my own overdue colonoscopy appointment. I went doorknocking and campaigning last year, so I shamefully had put it off—eye exams, dental appointments and, yes, I'm sorry to say, my regular colon screening. But it was due to a catch-up with Kaz and hearing more about her experience as a friend and as a young person living in my community, that I knew this was one appointment I should not have delayed. My routine colonoscopy just a few weeks ago led to my diagnosis of serrated polyposis syndrome. At my follow-up appointment, I learnt that this condition significantly increases the lifetime risk of colorectal cancer, with estimates ranging from 15 to 35 per cent increase or higher, several times the general population risk. The great news is that consistent rigorous screening—for me, that will now continue annually forever—allows for the early detection and removal of polyps, which is crucial for preventing their progression to cancer. Amazingly, the likelihood of colon cancer developing when this screening is followed is less than one per cent.

I want to thank Kaz not just for her advocacy and the work she is doing nationally to raise awareness about bowel cancer but for prompting me and enabling me to be diagnosed and receive phenomenal preventative treatment, which I am so thankful for. Too many still believe bowel cancer only affects the elderly. It does not. The truth is bowel cancer can be treated and it can be beaten if it's caught early, and Kaz's story is proof of that. Early detection saves lives. Ninety-nine per cent of cases can be treated successfully when detected in the earliest stage, but, unfortunately, fewer than 50 per cent of cases are detected early.

Conversations about bowel cancer may feel uncomfortable, but they can be lifesaving. I certainly did not imagine standing in federal parliament talking about my colonoscopy. It was embarrassing enough when the wonderful orderly at the hospital recognised me in my gown and asked if I was his new federal member of parliament, to which I said yes. But these conversations are incredibly important for us as a nation. By breaking down stigma, talking openly about symptoms and encouraging people to see their doctors, we can change health outcomes for our communities.

I thank all the advocates from Bowel Cancer Australia's Never2Young campaign, a group of young Australians with lived experience who work tirelessly to raise awareness. Their message is clear: no-one is too young for bowel cancer. I want to sincerely thank them for their work, their courage and their advocacy. I also want to acknowledge the work of the Parliamentary Friends of Bowel Cancer, co-chaired by the member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas, and the member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell, whose cross-party efforts keep this issue on the national agenda. Too often bowel cancer is seen as a distant or later concern in life, but Kaz's story and the story of so many young Australians show us otherwise. By raising awareness, supporting research, encouraging testing and speaking about our own experiences, backing campaigns like Never2Young, we can save lives. This is a message worth sharing, and it is something that I am deeply committed to continuing here in this place and in my local community of Griffith.

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