Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on behalf of the millions of Australians whose lives have been touched by breast cancer and the millions more who at some stage will either suffer from the disease or know someone who does. BreastScreen Australia has done a remarkable job since it was established in 1991. It screened more than 1.6 million women in 2005-06, undoubtedly saving many lives when problems were detected early. In 2006 2,618 women died of breast cancer in this country, and tens of thousands more every year suffer the physical and psychological trauma of aggressive therapy for the disease.

We should never forget that for every woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer and for every woman who feels distress at the possibility that she has developed the disease there are partners and children, fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters who are sharing their pain. With this in mind, I am astonished by suggestions this week that BreastScreen Australia services be restricted to women in higher risk age groups. Of those being tested today, 26 per cent are women outside the target group of 50 to 69 who feel concerned enough to seek screening for this terrible disease. Some are saying we should turn them away—or turn away at least those under 45 or over 75—that their concerns are not worthy of state funded screening and that a simple check for the disease is an extravagance, despite the fact that many women outside the key age group develop breast cancer each year and many die from it.

Proponents of this plan say it will save resources which can then be diverted to ensuring more women in the higher risk group are tested. Members on this side of the House are amongst the staunchest critics of wasteful expenditure, but we recognise that some things are beyond putting a price on. I for one do not want to live in a society which does not care. Public education may reduce the demand for screening by many women in other age groups, but even if it does not we must continue to extend the service to all women who are concerned enough to take that step of seeking a test. If they do have breast cancer, it needs to be picked up early and treated. The epitaph that they could have been saved but for a few dollars more is not one that I want to put my name to.