Page 5467 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 November 2010
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the conversation around men’s health into the home, into the workplace and into the clubs and pubs, because if we do not, someone will die. At the end of the day, if we do not do this, someone is going to die.
I thank Mrs Dunne very sincerely for bringing this forward. I, like everybody else, and indeed Mrs Dunne herself, had a great chuckle when it was she that drew the lottery. In the spirit of Movember, we had a lot of fun on the way up when we talked about the serious stuff. Having Mrs Dunne’s name drawn out of the bucket was fantastic. It was most appropriate, because it actually showed that this place can have a lightness about a serious subject and we can join together.
One of the sad things that I have to say, though, is that, apart from Mr Hanson, Peter and I, there are no blokes in the chamber to contribute to the debate or consider it. I think that is a bit sad. I am not critical of the opposition, the government or the crossbench individually, but collectively I am not particularly impressed with all of the blokes who are sitting up in their rooms and perhaps listening to this. You might find yourself walking with a black dog. Perhaps you should be down here and contributing to this. At the end of the day, it could be you that has got depression and prostate cancer. It could be your father, it could be your brother or it could be your son.
As Mrs Dunne said in her speech, the thing strikes early. This stuff strikes early and it strikes people in their 30s. Prostate cancer is not the province of the over-60s. My former father-in-law had prostate cancer. He was told that something like 90 per cent of men over the age of 70 had got prostate cancer and most of them died with it, instead of because of it. That may be true, except that the numbers have sort of caught up a bit now. Our life expectancy has increased so people are now being affected by prostate cancer and are dying. 3,300 people with a preventable disease is 3,300 too many.
I really think that we should enjoy a chuckle and take the micky. I have been down at King O’Malley’s and I have lost my mo and I have coloured my hair. I have done all sorts of silly things down there, all in the name of promoting men’s health. I thought I might just throw that one in to see if Mrs Dunne would enjoy it. But all I was able to do, yet again, was reduce Mrs Dunne to tears.
Mrs Dunne: A paroxysm of laughter.
MR HARGREAVES: Seriously, there are two things about Australian men which are fantastic: we have a massive sense of humour and we are a lot of blokes. We are blokes. Every now and again when we talk about our own health, we have got to stop being blokes. We have to keep our sense of humour and stop being blokes—because maybe one day the life that you save may very well be your own.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (4.18): I, too, would like to thank Mrs Dunne for this matter of public importance today. Movember is a very effective community action to raise awareness and funds for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression. As you know, I think there is quite a bit of stigma associated with both
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