Page 3259 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 10 November 2021
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Data from the Canberra Region Cancer Centre highlights that skin cancer makes up about three per cent of the case mix, with 96 cases this year, 70 of which were melanoma. A majority of cases are treated by surgeons, but 54 skin cancers treated in 2021-22 were treated with radiation therapy; 20 were melanoma, with the remainder being basal cell carcinoma.
The good news is that the survival rate is high, with Cancer Australia reporting a 92 per cent chance of survival between 2013 and 2017. However, what is also clear is that prevention is far better than cure. And reducing the incidence of skin cancer, which is very preventable, requires continued effort to remind people of sun-smart behaviours.
That is why the ACT government continues to prioritise and invest in this preventative health activity, in partnership with the Cancer Council ACT. Through the ACT Health Directorate, the government provides $330,000 annually to the Cancer Council ACT to provide support services, including for SunSmart programs. Through this funding, the Cancer Council promotes education about and awareness of sun protection behaviour to the ACT community through a range of programs and forums, including outdoor workplaces and secondary school settings.
These programs include the national SunSmart early childhood program, which supports ACT early childhood services with their UV protection policy and procedures, including resources and educator professional learning, and reviews early childhood services for their SunSmart status. The National SunSmart Schools Program supports ACT primary schools with their UV protection policy and procedures, including resources and teacher professional learning, and reviews schools for their SunSmart status.
Programs also work with outdoor workers and workplaces to support local workplaces with resources, posters, brochures and booklets, presentations on UV protection, and toolbox talks. ACT secondary schools are offered support via online resources, posters and teacher online professional learning.
Finally, for the general public, the programs provide awareness, advocacy and opportunities via local community events—for example, the Royal Canberra Show and National Skin Cancer Action Week—traditional and social media, including Facebook and Twitter; website support; and face-to-face interactions.
The above programs are reinforced in schools by ACT government sun protection policies, classroom engagement, positive teacher role modelling and uniform and shade provision.
All of this speaks to exactly what Dr Paterson was getting to in her motion: much of our current effort is focused on children and those around them in formal settings. We sometimes forget, as adults, that we all have a responsibility, all the time, to role model. I know that for myself. The other day, the first really warm, sunny day, I went out for a walk with a friend. Of course, I had my sunscreen on my face, as I always do, but I did not take a hat, I did not wear a long-sleeved shirt, and I ended up with
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