I rise to speak in support of this excellent motion by the member for Lilley. I associate myself with all of the fine remarks of everyone who has participated in this debate, especially the heart-felt contribution from the member for Monash. This motion recognises that we are coming up to Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. At the heart of this motion is acknowledgement that there is so much more that this country, the government, this parliament can do the support women who contract this disease. I hold an annual fundraiser for Ovarian Cancer Australia and this year our morning tea was held last Friday at Belmont Golf Club. I am delighted to say that 150 people took the opportunity to join me for morning tea, where we enjoyed teal cupcakes by Vicki Brogan, Country Women's Association scones baked by Vicky Lovegreen and Aisla Stewart, and a fashion parade by Belmont boutique Uproar.
An honourable member: You will need a bigger suit.
Mr CONROY: I will, indeed, by the number of scones I ate. We also heard from guest speaker Cath Adams, a psychologist who works with cancer patients at Hunter New England Health. We paid tribute to a wonderful woman who was a guest speaker last year's event, former ABC journalist Jill Emberson, who was such a fierce advocate for this cause. She sadly lost her battle with this disease on 12 December last year. I knew Jill well. She would demand that I pause right now to remind everyone she only had one symptom—that was, constipation. Other speakers have spoken about the challenge of this disease, and Jill's passing started with only one symptom. I previously have told this House of Jill's dogged determination to make her final years count and she did—speaking at Parliament House, rebuking every single member of parliament, helping gain a $20 million commitment for ovarian cancer research and a further $15 million towards women's reproductive cancer trials. Of course, more is needed.
I was so happy that through our one event last week we raised $4,000 for Ovarian Cancer Australia. I would like to thank Andrew Robertson of The Good Guys Warner Bay for donating the major prize; Carolyn Bear for selling her jewellery, which has raised $200,000. I know Meryl has joined up to her. Thanks also to Belmont Golf Club, Murrays Meats, Cafe Macquarie and Islas Canarias Tapas Bar.
There is so much more work that needs to be done. We know that in Australia four women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day and, tragically, three women will die of the disease every day.
It has the lowest survival rate of any women's cancer. We know that less than half of all women diagnosed with the cancer will still be alive five years later. We know that there is no reliable screening test to aid detection and prevention.
Great research on this disease is being done around the world and in Australia. I want to highlight the contribution that is being made in Newcastle through the Hunter Medical Research Institute. In fact, Jill Emberson chose the HMRI to be the beneficiary of money she raised in her name. The result is the PhD scholarship that will build on important research already occurring. That work is being done by Associate Professor Nikola Bowden, who was also a guest speaker last year's Morning Teal. I want to thank her and her great team of researchers and congratulate them on their commitment to this vital work.
What these and other researchers throughout Australia need is more money. While the federal government committed $20 million to ovarian cancer research, we all need to do more. I want the encourage all my constituents and others throughout Australia to make a contribution, however small, towards Ovarian Cancer Australia's goal of raising $500,000 this month. Paint the Town Teal events are being held throughout Australia. If an event raises just $55 it will provide one woman living with this disease with an Ovarian Cancer Australia resilience kit to help them live as long as possible.
In the past 30 years, great leaps have been made in awareness, funding and survival rates of other cancers—in particular, breast cancer and prostate cancer. In comparison to the 46 per cent survival rate for ovarian cancer, the five-year survival rate for cervical cancer is now at 72 per cent, breast cancer is at 91 per cent and prostate cancer is at 95 per cent. That is phenomenally good news, but ovarian cancer continues to be the most challenging of female cancers. It takes away our mothers, our daughters, our wives and our sisters. It is not going away. More funding is needed. Every dollar counts. I will always remember the passionate speech by Jill Emberson last year in which she challenged every single MP to do more. We must do more. I thank the member for Lilley for starting this motion.
View my speech here.