Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Monday, 11 June to Sunday, 17 June is International Men’s Health Week and is primarily concerned with the health challenges that men face and the incidence of particular diseases to which we are more prone as males. The week is also an opportunity to acknowledge the diversity of males around Australia and to celebrate the positive contributions of men and boys in our communities.

Men and boys face different health concerns than women and girls—be they due to anatomical or biological differences, work or lifestyle differences or differences that have a psychological impact, becoming manifest through social, communal and often our own individual expectations of ourselves, the roles we perform and the responsibilities we shoulder. International Men’s Health Week is an important opportunity to both acknowledge these differences and look for ways to improve the health and wellbeing of men and boys.

Fundamentally, the purpose of International Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. International Men’s Health Week has only been celebrated in Australia since 2003. It is quite new and easy to miss, but I hope in the future it becomes a big event.

We should acknowledge that more than 40 per cent of Australian men over 40 years suffer serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Men have a lower life expectancy than women. In 2002 to 2004, male life expectancy was estimated to be 78.1 years, while female life expectancy was 83 years. Men under 75 years are almost three times more likely to die from coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular disease than women in the same age group.

We are fortunate to have amongst us an advocate for prostate cancer checks, the member for Lilley, who continues to advance the need for such checks. I believe only last week he spoke in the seat of Adelaide about his experience with prostate cancer, just as he did in my seat of Hindmarsh last year. We had a huge turnout that day and were able to promote people’s awareness of prostate cancer. We have a former member of this place doing, I am sure, a terrific job on television at the moment advancing men’s effective communication with their doctors regarding mental health—Mr Tim Fisher.

I would like to conclude by making a connection between the health of men and the impact that poor health can have on loved ones in the immediate vicinity. White Ribbon Day is 25 November, a day in support of non-violent relationships, to exemplify the fact that men can stand by one another in support of healthy relationships with our family members and people generally. We all have ample opportunity to try to advance such good causes and such good messages within our respective communities and to promote healthier lifestyles and therefore, I am sure, happier and longer lives for men throughout the nation.