Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to speak about an amazing and inspiring charity, The Kids' Cancer Project. This morning I attended a breakfast held by the charity, where I had the opportunity to hear from the founder, Mr Col Reynolds OAM; Paediatric Oncologist Dr Luciano Dalla-Pozza; and the father, the brother and the sister of Nicholas Forwood, a child coping with cancer. It was heartbreaking to hear of the impact of the disease, but inspiring to hear of the efforts to provide Nicholas with support and also to raise money for research.

I pay tribute to the strength of character from all those whose families face such challenges. It is also good to know that there are driven and dedicated people who are working so fiercely to raise money for research and cures. In this case, some $24 million has been raised since 1993, when Col Reynolds founded the charity. That makes The Kids' Cancer Project the third biggest donor of research funds for childhood cancers, behind the federal and state governments.

It should be known that childhood cancer is the leading cause of death from disease of Australian children and that we have one of the highest incidences in the world. On average, four children are diagnosed with cancer each day, while approximately three children die from cancer each week. Childhood cancers cannot be prevented; they can only be treated. Of those who survive, 98 per cent will develop chronic medical conditions. It is very scary to hear the stories of the pain and suffering, together with the always present fear of losing their child or sibling. It bought home to me and my colleagues who attended the breakfast the need to raise awareness and funds for research. I have not had such a challenge myself, because in my family the incidences of cancer have all been adult types, but it is through being an MP that I hear of these realities—realities that confront families in Cowan and elsewhere around the country.

The Kids' Cancer Project supports a key project in Western Australia, which benefits families in the Cowan electorate. I speak of the work of Professor Ursula Kees at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth. Professor Kees is undertaking a world first large-scale drug testing into infant leukaemia. This will help combat the survival rates, which are currently around only 30 per cent.

I also take this opportunity to thank my constituents for raising with me the challenges that they face and continue to face, and in particular Rhiannon Williams and Donna Field. I wish them and their families all the best for the challenges that they will continue to face into the future. I also want to place on record my admiration and thanks to Col Reynolds, a man who, in 1993, stepped forward to make a difference; to Dr Dalla-Pozza; and to everyone who is involved in The Kids' Cancer Project. I also wish the new CEO, Owen Finegan, the former Wallaby, all the best for his efforts in the future. Once again, I thank The Kids Cancer Project for their excellent work, and I endorse them as a great charity as they work to combat the scourge of childhood cancers.