Kay Elson (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Would the minister advise the House what the government is doing to help those Australians suffering with breast cancer?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for Forde for her question and I note that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is still the most common invasive cancer affecting Australian women, with about 13,000 new diagnoses expected in the coming year. I regret to say that new diagnoses of breast cancer have increased quite significantly over the last two decades, from about 5,000 a year then to 13,000 a year now, but it is not all bad news. The five-year survival rate for people with breast cancer has increased from 71 per cent two decades ago to 86 per cent today. Today Australian women have a one in 56 chance of dying of breast cancer compared with a one in 43 chance two decades ago, and Australia’s breast cancer mortality rate is significantly better than those applying in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

Since the year 2000, this government has invested some $55 million in breast cancer research through the National Health and Medical Research Council. As most members would by now be aware, on 1 October the government listed Herceptin for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, and this will increase the survival rates of women who qualify for the treatment by about one-third. Since 1995 the government has provided some $34 million to the National Breast Cancer Centre. The NBCC has played an important role in coordinating breast cancer research, in helping to develop clinical guidelines and in raising awareness of this disease in the community. I congratulate the National Breast Cancer Centre on its work, particularly the role of the Chair of the National Breast Cancer Centre for the last decade, Janet McDonald, who is now retiring.