Private Members' Motion - Prostate Cancer
I move that this House:
(1) notes that:
(a) according to Cancer Australia an estimated 3,306 men have died from prostate cancer in 2019;
(b) there is an estimated one in six risk of a male being diagnosed with prostate cancer by his 85th birthday; and
(c) it is vital that men take their health seriously;
(2) acknowledges the tireless work of men's health advocate, prostate cancer survivor and Maylands resident, Mr David Dyke, for raising awareness about prostate cancer and promoting the importance of men's health in the electoral division of Perth and across Australia;
(3) commends Mr Dyke for his:
(a) advocacy in championing men's health;
(b) efforts in producing a deeply personal documentary on his battle with prostate cancer; and
(c) committed work in raising awareness about prostate cancer; and
(4) encourages Members to watch Mr Dyke's YouTube documentary 'David Dyke Prostate Journey: From Diagnosis to Rehabilitation'.
Today, nine men will die from prostate cancer. Tomorrow, another nine men will die from prostate cancer in Australia. As a matter of fact, this happens every single day of the year. The motion in front of us today is actually about hope that we can do something about that and that the conversation we have as a nation brings us together and encourages us towards further action. One person in my electorate that inspired this motion is a gentleman called David Dyke. David is a prostate cancer survivor. I will talk more about his journey and his innovative way of responding to his diagnosis in a moment.
For Australian men, this is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer. It's currently the second largest cause of cancer related deaths. It's most likely to affect men over the age of 55, and the risk increases every year. I talked to the library earlier today, and they informed me they don't have the statistics for this parliament, but for the 45th Parliament the average age of men in this place was over 50, at 52. The chances of an average male being diagnosed by his 85th birthday is one in six. Those are our friends, family members, brothers, dads and uncles. That sums up to 19,508 cases every year. In Australia this year, that means that some 3,306 Australians have already died from this cancer. It's something we sadly all have a personal experience of. Indeed, I heard the story of a friend of mine luckily overcoming his battle with prostate cancer. Sadly, I heard this at his funeral. He had battled prostate cancer for some 18 years before passing away from other causes. It is a preventable disease but we all know someone who has been affected by it. On that note, I want to commend the member for Blaxland, who seconds this motion. He has done so much advocacy in this place and across the country in making sure that we continue this discussion, and I look forward to hearing his contribution in a few moments time.
This isn't a disease that just affects the body; it also affects the mind. The mental health challenges for those who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are immense. We need to remember that what starts physically can often have just as much of a toll emotionally and mentally. Between 2010 and 2014—these are the best statistics we have—some 90,354 men were living with prostate cancer. To put that in perspective, that's almost an entire federal electorate. The strain is huge. The struggle is huge. But, as I said, a gentleman called David Dyke, who lives in Maylands, in my electorate, had a very innovative response. Earlier this year during Men's Health Week, he screened his film Prostate Journey: From Diagnosis to Rehabilitation. I'm pleased that the YouTube link to that film is available in the motion before us today.
David is an active local in the Perth electorate. David spends his time on many things, including rehabilitating Bardon Park, a beautiful piece of prime riverfront land in the Perth electorate on the Swan River. When he was diagnosed in 2016, David decided that he would start fundraising and arrange an entire film crew to follow him on his journey—not your average reaction but he has made a very moving and incredibly honest film about his experience. It's about his struggle and his struggle with mental health and his call for men to be more active about their health. I studied film in university, and I should admit that I actually dropped out. Making documentaries is hard work. Doing it on a shoestring budget makes it even harder. David put this film together and he launched it at The RISE in Maylands. He has shared it across our community and encourages people to watch the film. It is one of the many ways that we can continue the conversation about making sure that this disease that affects so many is something that eventually becomes part of our history, not our future.
I will finish by commending the work of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. They have many, many patrons. I think it is almost compulsory that if you become a governor or Governor-General, you become a patron. I note that Governor Kim Beazley is a proud patron of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. They do fantastic work. All power to them.