David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to bring to your attention the plight of the Tasmanian devil. This unique animal’s population is under threat from an aggressive, horrific and very unusual cancer. It takes the form of fleshy tumours that grow in and around the devils’ mouths and then develop into large lumps that kill in a matter of months. The devils usually die from starvation as their teeth are either forced out of their mouths by lumps or the lumps prevent them from chewing.

The devil facial tumour disease, or DFTD, is a contagious cancer and is one of only a few cancers that actually can be transmitted from one animal to another. It is spreading across Tasmania, travelling from devil to devil, with a 100 per cent fatality rate. There are no preclinical tests to determine infection, the gestation period is unknown and, like other cancers, there is no known cure. The seriousness of a disease that we know too little about and that threatens this population cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Failure to take urgent and appropriate action could well lead to the extinction of what is a unique animal, unlike anything else alive today.

So what is it about this disease that makes it so hard to address? Research shows that DFTD acts differently to your usual human cancer because the cells in each tumour are identical. They are treated by the devils’ bodies like a transplanted organ. The lack of genetic diversity amongst the devils prevents their immune systems from rejecting the cancerous tissue as foreign and, as a result, it grows unchallenged until it is sufficiently large to hamper their ability to eat or breathe. It appears usually to be transmitted when devils fight over food, often biting each other’s faces and transmitting cancer cells in the process.

The situation is sad and extremely concerning. This makes it especially offensive when opportunists with their own agenda abuse the plight of the devils by suggesting the DFTD was caused by activities they are campaigning against, without any proof or even the tiniest bit of evidence that their claims might be true. The fact is that finding the cause of this disease, which has been around for at least 10 years, will be almost, if not completely, impossible. And wasting time specifically trying to find its cause would be entirely counterproductive when what is needed is a focus on finding a solution. Research into this disease is already a project on a global scale, with participation and support from scientists in many countries. The most promising research surrounds mapping of the devil’s genome and looking into the genetic resistance that may be present in animals from Tasmania’s west—an area to which the disease has not yet spread.

These are the sorts of projects that are vitally important if we are to find a solution to address the spread of the disease. But, of course, research of this type requires millions of dollars of funding to make it possible. Immediately prior to their election, the then federal Labor opposition promised $10 million in funding over the next five years specifically for research into a cure for this disease. Unfortunately, they will not start delivering on this promise until the next financial year, and even then it is likely to come in dribs and drabs. In the meantime, researchers need to rely on current levels of funding and support from donations. Whether this is good enough, only time will tell. Some commentators, including scientists, have made very alarmist claims that the devil will be extinct within five years, two years or even 12 months if research does not find a solution within those time frames.