Deborah O'Neill (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to speak on two matters in the time that is allocated for this adjournment speech this evening. Firstly, I would like to put on the record here in the House that a friendship group was formed just last week. I would like to acknowledge the member for Brisbane for becoming the deputy chair and assisting me with engaging, in the very first instance, our sisters across both chambers of this place in raising awareness about secondary breast cancer. In recent years there have been significant developments in the community's understanding and support of research into primary breast cancer, sometimes called early breast cancer. Our focus in this particular group is to look at secondary breast cancer, which is sometimes called secondary tumours, metastatic disease, stage 4 breast cancer or advanced breast cancer. These are all different terms that are used to describe the return of a breast cancer.

It is a systemic disease, and it does affect other parts of the body. Commonly it develops when some of the cancer cells from the original cancer in the breast travel to other parts of the body through the blood or the lymphatic system and develop into a new sort of cancer. It is still known as breast cancer, even if it can occur in a different part of the body. The current situation for people who have secondary breast cancer, though, is less than you might hope it would be. The reality is that even the best treatment for secondary breast cancer does not always remove the disease and the terrible outcome for too many women, both younger and older women. The opportunities we have to raise awareness about this issue and to support the development of research and funding of appropriate medical treatment to extend and enhance the lives of these women is something that we are dedicated to doing, and I wanted to put that on the record.

Secondly, on a serious note, but marked by a very happy and enjoyable occasion, I was privileged on 27 February at the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club to attend the Long Hai Dinner in honour of the 8th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment Association. I have never been to a dinner such as this before, and it was an extremely memorable occasion. On this occasion, which used to happen every five years and now happens every three years, they remember their fallen comrades with great honour. It is a very sensitive and very generous recalling of the lives lived, the times shared and the freedom fought for. Happily, the event was enabled with a $3,000 grant from the federal government. In a letter sent by Minister Snowdon in December last year, the organising group, from my local area, was very pleased to receive the $3,000 that enabled that event to take place.

Special guests were Kevin Sullivan, who gave the loyal toast; Major General Adrian Clunies-Ross, who was the major of the battalion; and Michael Jeffery, the former Governor-General. I would like to place on record the names of the fallen who were remembered on that occasion: Private Noel Clare, Private Warren Groves, Private Eric Gould, Private Victor Wagstaff, Sergeant Douglas Baker, Private Barry Munday, Private Philip Richter, Private Timo Pesonen, Private Larry MacLennon, Private Garry West, Sergeant William Hoban, Corporal Robert Jackson, Corporal James Barrett, Lieutenant Corporal John Bressington, Private Stephen O'Dal, Private Daryl Poulsen, Private John McQuat, Private Phillip Earle, Lieutenant Corporal Phillip Goody and Sergeant Alan Ahearn. On that evening, we were gathering to remember the fallen, and I was really touched by the way in which the men spoke about these fallen comrades being in their presence. Each of them mentioned the name, told a short story about the loss of that person and said, 'Tonight I dined and drank with—' and identified each of their fallen comrades. They carry the memory in their hearts, and very much did honour to the notion we have of 'lest we forget'.