Page 4967 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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However, the government cannot continue to just talk about this issue without taking action to back it up and achieve the targets that have been set.
The ACT government have been quick to promote that they are establishing new facilities and investment in digital breast screening technology. However, without the staff for these facilities, their impact on the increasing breast screening rates, and therefore survival rates, will be minimal. The ACT Health Directorate annual report 2010-11 states that with the shortage of radiographers there will continue to be an impact on waiting times for appointments and assessments for breast screening services. Without a focused effort by the ACT government to train and recruit radiographers in the ACT, there will be little to gain.
As the Greens state in their amendment, there are consequences of treatment for breast cancer, which, while not exclusive to breast cancer patients, are experienced by a large number of breast cancer patients. The development of lymphoedema and the need to access the lymphoedema clinic at Calvary hospital is an example of this. Timely treatment in this clinic is important to ensure that the symptoms of lymphoedema are minimised and the condition does not get worse. That is why I will be supporting the amendment and asking the government to examine and report on the levels of demand at the clinic and also to examine the steps that could be taken to address this growing demand.
The cancer support agencies in the ACT can only do so much. They can raise awareness and provide information for the need for breast screening tests, but without the backup of the government, their work is redundant. We cannot let the valuable work of the ACT cancer support agencies go without results. The thousands of volunteer hours that go in to awareness programs in the ACT cannot be wasted because the government cannot back them up with targeted screening and adequate screening facilities being made available.
I would like particularly to commend the work of the Cancer Council and note the work done by Christine Brill from the Cancer Council, who is always active, certainly in bringing to the attention of politicians of all descriptions in the Assembly the good work of the Cancer Council and the need for all of us to remain attentive.
I was also recently honoured to be involved in the Bosom Buddies hat hat hooray competition, along with Gai Brodtmann, Annette Ellis and others. Although artistic pursuits may not be my strength, I was certainly enthusiastic about doing all I could to promote this active and passionate local group. Bosom Buddies is a local ACT organisation that actively supports women living with breast cancer. They also support their families and friends, and work to promote awareness of breast cancer in the Canberra community. Their membership is about 300 and is growing. This organisation is a great example of local people seeing that local people need support, and doing something about it.
The hat hat hooray competition invites people from across the community, including many who would hopefully have more millinery experience than me, to enter hats they have created. In doing so they not only raise awareness about breast cancer but also they raise much needed funds to ensure that their organisation continues to work.
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