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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 3477 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Of course, the Labor Party will be continuing to articulate a strong and proactive youth policy agenda, including the very successful youth interact initiative which is now up and running at a cost of over half a million dollars, expanded outreach services for youth in West Belconnen and additional services for young people facing mental health problems and challenges such as that.

Mr Speaker, the government has put its money where its mouth is, the government is prepared to hold itself accountable, and the government is prepared to communicate its message to young people when requested through magazines such as BMA and, indeed, on other occasions as well. Perhaps someone will draw the attention of the shadow minister for youth affairs to BMA, which is an excellent magazine. I would urge the Liberal Party to get a bit more proactive and start engaging with young people in the ACT.

Breast cancer

MR SMYTH (5.50): Mr Speaker, last month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which culminated in Australian Breast Cancer Day on Monday, the 28th. I want to alert the Assembly to some of the activities that did go on, given that 10,000 Australian women will be diagnosed as having breast cancer in a given year and probably something like a quarter of those will not survive. In the ACT, something like 250 people are diagnosed as having breast cancer each year. Something that members might not know is that one per cent of men will get breast cancer.

There were a number of events throughout the month. There was the small field of pink ladies in Civic Square. There were dragon boat races in which a team of politicians got rolled by a boat of Canberra Girls Grammar School girls rather early in the race, to the amusement of all. There was an event in Sydney on Sunday, 27 October, and then Australian Breast Cancer Day on the 28th itself. I would like to thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing some of the pink lady silhouettes to be set up in the gardens of the courtyard of the Assembly and bring the significance of the events to the attention of those coming to and from the Assembly,.

The events culminated in the Bosom Buddies Dinner on the night of the 28th. I think it is important that we acknowledge the group of ladies from the Breast Cancer Support Group and the Australian Breast Cancer Awareness Network who are out there making sure that people understand what occurs when you have breast cancer and supporting their fellow sufferers.

One of the things that came out of the month was the launch of a book called My mummy has breast cancer by Kerry Glover, who is a resident of Nicholls. Kerry stood before all of us that night and said, "I have breast cancer."She said that she was amazed at the lack of information available to women and their families, so she has done the right thing and, rather than complaining, has written a book. If members are interested, I have a form on which they can actually order a copy of the book.

The night itself was a fabulous evening, with $9,000 being raised in an auction and from donations. Lyn Mills is to be congratulated on the way she compered the evening and Philip Kouvelis on the way he conducted the auction. Throughout the night, various women were honoured. The Chief Minister and his family were there. I think that special

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