Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today as a very proud member of the Turnbull government, a government that is delivering for all Australians. In fabulous news for Australian women, last Friday, 1 December, the new human papillomavirus, HPV, test began being used by Australian doctors. From now on, Australian women will benefit from this new and more effective screening test for cervical cancer, which provides greater accuracy and requires testing less often. The new HPV test will prevent up to 30 per cent more women developing cervical cancer because it detects HPV, an early risk indicator for cervical cancer, while the previous Pap test detected cervical abnormalities after they occurred. This is wonderful news for Australian women, who now need to be tested only every five years instead of every two. We know that cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, but screening is vital. Around 80 per cent of Australian women who develop cervical cancer do not get screened regularly, as recommended, or have never been screened.

The Turnbull government is committed to improving women's health through prevention and early detection. I'm thrilled that the new HPV test will aid many women to manage the detection. In addition to the new HPV test, it is fantastic that our new national cervical immunisation program is now using Gardasil 9, which will be offered through the National Immunisation Program. Even with the vaccine, it's important that women continue to have regular screening, and this is why I'm proud to speak today on the new test that will help generations of Australian women to prevent it.