Breast Cancer Awareness Month

17 Oct 2014 12:00 PMMichael Hart

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (5.55 pm): As we all know, October is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. No-one does it better than the great electorate of Burleigh. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Australia. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime, unfortunately. Since 1997, on average over 2,384 women are diagnosed each year in Queensland, with 15,000 expected to be diagnosed in Australia this year. A total of over 25,000 have been diagnosed in Queensland during the past decade. On the Gold Coast, the number of breast cancer cases each year has increased from 200 to 400 for the period 1996 to 2011. The five-year survival rate has improved from 74 per cent in 1982 to 89 per cent in 2009.
 

The Pink Ribbon charity fund has funded over $16.2 million in secondary breast cancer research across 27 projects since 1994. They have raised in excess of $400,000 this year, and I urge everyone to consider donating to this worthy cause as they have set an ambitious target of $9.47 million this year.
 

In Burleigh, the local champion of breast cancer month is Zeta Thomas, the chairperson of Burleigh in Pink. A group of ladies are putting together a number of events in Burleigh: High Tea at Teavine at Tallebudgera; The Breakfast at Burleigh Bowls Club on Monday morning—I will be attending that myself and wearing something pink; a ladies luncheon at the Fish House—
 

Mr Stevens interjected.
 

Mr HART: Very nice. The leader of the House can come along to that if he would like to, but it is a ladies lunch. There is also a gala dinner at Oskars and a men’s luncheon at the Burleigh Head Mowbray Park surf club. That might be better suited to the Leader of the House. Also, last weekend I participated in a sausage sizzle at Bunnings. I spent two hours cooking sausages. We actually raised quite a bit of money for breast cancer. It was fantastic.
 

Mr Boothman: Did you eat any?
 

Mr HART: I did eat a couple, actually. I would like to thank the major sponsors at Burleigh for The Breakfast on Monday. I mention Baxters Solicitors, Jewellery on James, Lacey West Burleigh Heads, Mortgage Choice, the Professionals Black & Young—that is where Zeta was working until recently—Ray White Burleigh Heads and Rem Media. They are doing a fantastic job. I look forward to a wonderful breakfast on Monday morning.

View the footage here