Tobacco tax, bowel cancer should be 2010-11 budget priorities
Cancer Council Australia has recommended that an increased tobacco tax and an expanded bowel cancer screening program should be priorities for the 2010-11 federal budget, if the Rudd Government is to back its moves towards healthcare reform with decisive action.
Releasing Cancer Council Australia’s pre-budget submission to Treasury in November, Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said the Government had campaigned on improved disease prevention and consulted appropriately for almost two years. Next financial year was the time to deliver.
“When it comes to reducing death and disease caused by smoking, the best measure available to Government is tobacco tax, particularly among people on lower incomes,” Professor Olver said.
“Increasing cigarette prices by 21 per cent would prompt 130,000 Australian adults to quit smoking and prevent 35,000 children from becoming addicted to nicotine. It would also raise an extra $1.3 billion in annual revenue – more than enough to fund public health initiatives like the Bowel Cancer Screening Program.”
Professor Olver said the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program had the greatest unrealised potential to immediately prevent cancer deaths, with a fully implemented program saving 30 lives per week by picking up early-stage cancers.
“Yet instead of providing two yearly screening for all Australians aged 50 and over, the program is only available once off to people turning 50, 55 and 65,” he said. “At a minimum we want to see 60 and 70 year-olds added, which would identify an additional 630 early stage bowel cancers each year.”
The pre-budget submission was accompanied by an album of personal stories as part of Cancer Council Australia’s “Get behind bowel cancer screening” online campaign www.getbehindbowelscreening.com.au.
Bondi ‘crime scene’ puts tanning in the frame
Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach became a massive ‘crime scene’ in November as part of a new Cancer Council campaign that graphically depicts the dangers of tanning.
Startled beachgoers were greeted by the sight of 1700 towels stretched across the sand, each emblazoned with a ‘crime scene’ chalk outline of a ‘victim’. The towels were a graphic representation of the 1700 Australians who die each year from skin cancer.
Professor Olver said the ‘Don’t be a victim’ campaign was aimed mainly at Australian teens, many of whom continued to desire a tan, despite the well publicised risks.
“Newly analysed data from our National Sun Survey shows that 43 per cent of teens believe a suntan ‘looks healthy,”* he said. “Peer pressure is largely to blame, with 71 per cent of teens saying their friends thought ‘a suntan was a good thing.’”
Professor Olver said that with one in four teens still getting sunburnt on a typical summer weekend, Cancer Council believed it was time to send an “unambiguous message” about the deadly risks of tanning.
“More needs to be done to educate younger Australians about the dangers of getting sunburnt,” said Professor Olver. “We hope this campaign will help get the message to sink in that a tan just isn’t worth the risk.”
* National Sun Protection Survey 2006-07. While some data from this survey has been previously released, this is the first time these specific statistics have been released.
Government commended for continuing ‘five ways’ skin cancer campaign
Professor Olver welcomed the announcement by Health Minister Nicola Roxon in November of an additional $2.5 million to continue the successful ‘five ways’ multimedia campaign for the fourth consecutive summer.
He said that of all the cancers that cause substantial death and disease in Australia, skin cancer was the easiest to prevent through behaviour change, with almost all cases caused by unsafe exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
“The Government’s campaign clearly sends the right message,” he said. “Protect yourself from the sun in five ways: wear a hat and protective clothing; seek shade; put on wraparound sunglasses; and apply sunscreen.
“We hope to see an ongoing commitment from Government, with increased funding next year as the national preventative health agenda gathers momentum.”
Poor chemical controls heighten health risks for small business employees
Thousands of Australian workers employed by small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) are being put at increased risk of exposure to hazardous materials because owners are failing to put in place proper controls.
At the November ‘kNOw cancer in the workplace forum’ organised by Cancer Council Australia and the ACTU, Dr Peta Miller, from Safe Work Australia, reported that less than half of SMEs undertook monitoring for hazardous substances in the workplace and that of those who did monitor, they did not adequately represent worker exposure.
“One of the significant barriers to effective implementation of controls by SMEs has been the relatively complex nature of guidance advice under the current regulatory framework,” she said. “Notices tend to be too detailed and technical for SMEs to fully comprehend, so labelling becomes critical.”
Dr Miller said that with the new internationally agreed labelling system for hazardous workplace chemicals to be introduced in Australia in 2012, with clearer, more simply worded descriptions and easy to understand safety data sheets, far more SMEs were expected to comply.
Cancer Council Australia Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, welcomed the introduction of clearer labelling for chemicals.
“While there are obvious examples like quitting smoking, minimising exposure to the sun and participating in screening programs, we also need to do more when it comes to the less publicised risks, like preventing exposure to chemicals that are known carcinogens.”
Unsafe handling of chemicals poses health risk to farming communities
Australian farmers and their families are being exposed to some of the most dangerous chemicals available, with little training or regulation.
Dr Liz Hanna, from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, told the ‘kNOw cancer in the workplace forum’ in November that her study (2003) of 1050 farming households in north east Victoria found that 95 per cent of households were using agricultural chemicals, yet only 40 per cent of farmers had undertaken a chemicals user course.
“Agricultural chemicals are of particular concern as they interrupt biological pathways that we share with the pests they are designed to kill,” Dr Hanna said. “They are among the most dangerous chemicals we have on the market, yet there is no monitoring in place to encourage safe handling.”
Dr Hanna said there was minimal regulation of agricultural chemicals use in Australia because they were used on farms instead of factories. Occupational health and safety regulations existed for large farms employing staff, however 95 per cent of farms in Australia were family owned and operated.
Chair of Cancer Council Australia’s Occupational and Environmental Cancer Committee, Terry Slevin, said that not enough attention had been paid to the issue and the farming community deserved better.
“We need to make sure all farmers are trained in safe handling practices and that there is credible and frequent monitoring to ensure the health of farmers and their families.”
Poor management of workplace cancer claims exacerbates employee anxiety
Associate Professor Tim Driscoll, from the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, told the ‘kNOw cancer in the workplace forum’ in November there was an understandable uncertainty by employers when it came to concerns about cancer clusters.
Professor Driscoll, who investigated concerns about a cancer cluster at the National Gallery in 2008, as well as conducting a number of similar investigations, said most concerns could be reasonably quickly cleared up by following a systematic process focusing on exposures and emphasising communication and education.
According to Professor Driscoll, employers could help to avoid prolonged, costly, anxiety-provoking and sometimes adversarial situations by calling in an expert, such as an epidemiologist or occupational physician, early to talk with staff, assess the concerns and advise whether there is a need for further investigation. “This can ease concerns and avoid a cascading effect that may ultimately result in long-term problems for employees and the organisation,” he said.
“We need to take any claim of cancer in the workplace seriously, as many workplaces still have problem exposures that are not well controlled. However, if no carcinogenic (cancer-causing) exposure is identified, it is extremely unlikely that work-related exposures would be responsible for an apparent cluster of cancers. This has been the experience in a large number of studies around the world.”
Cancer Council Australia Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said that while all claims of cancer clusters merited some level of investigation, there was a need for more information and education for employers and employees, as well as better internal communication.
Events News
Daffodil Day 2009
Thanks for a blooming good effort!
Cancer Council was once again delighted by the generosity of everyday Australians, who rallied together to raise over $8 million for Daffodil Day in 2009. This money will be used to help Cancer Council continue to provide for research, education and support for the one in two Australians diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.
And so a big thankyou is extended to all who took part, whether by registering to help us sell merchandise, or by picking up a daffodil gift on the day.
Daffodil Day will be back in August this year. To pre-register your interest visit www.daffodilday.com.au or phone 1300 65 65 85.
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea time is almost here! Sign up now to host an event in May and help us raise the funds we need to keep working towards reducing the impact of cancer in Australia.
The official date this year is May 27, however you can join in the fun by hosting a party or drinking a cuppa anytime during May.
All you need to do is visit www.biggestmorningtea.com.au or phone 1300 65 65 85 to receive a host kit. The website is full of great ideas and recipes to help get you started, and you can also check out our gallery featuring everyday Australians doing the ‘I’m a little teapot’.
Last year our hosts and guests raised more than $10.6 million, and we are sure we can do even more this year.
This year Cancer Council has joined forces with Trafalgar to give morning tea hosts the opportunity to go in the running to win one of three overseas holidays including “Handmade Thailand” holiday valued at $2600, “Handmade Vietnam” holiday valued at $6600 and “Handmade India” holiday valued at $10,000.
Biggest Morning Tea guests also have the opportunity to be rewarded. For each $10 or more guests donate to your morning tea, they will receive an entry to win a “Europe – created for you” holiday package valued at $12,800.
Terms and conditions can be found at www.biggestmorningtea.com.au