Breast screening
Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (09:56): Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Australia, yet screening is still not accessible. Women are not eligible for funded screening until the age of 40, yet women who have denser breast tissue are at higher risk of developing cancer. I raise this because it is personal to me. Two of my closest friends, Sarah and Keegan, both in their 30s, went through breast cancer last year. They were not eligible for funded BreastScreen or testing, and they both paid out of pocket close to $1000 each to get a diagnosis. Kegan and Sarah both had palpable lumps. They both in fact had cancer, yet they did not qualify for testing. Their experience highlighted that health care in Victoria is not equitable and testing is not accessible, and that needs to change. The high cost of testing is a major deterrent, especially for young women who are juggling multiple responsibilities and trying to balance the family budget, yet cancer does not discriminate and early detection is crucial. I want to encourage women to stop putting off testing, even if the personal cost is high. In the meantime, I will join the voices of thousands of women advocating for change. As more and more young women are getting breast cancer now, we must remove the barriers for detection. I have raised this with the minister, and I would like to encourage other people in this chamber to do the same.