NEWCASTLE SKIN CHECK

Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown)—Over the summer, the Hunter Melanoma Foundation staged the "Spot Check" campaign, an initiative that aimed to provide free skin checks to the general public and the local community. Skin cancer is a major cause of illness in Australia, and in 2020 it was expected that an estimated 16,221 new cases of melanoma of the skin would be diagnosed. In 2016, the incidence rate was an astonishing 54 cases diagnosed for every 100,000 Australians. The doctors at Charlestown-based Newcastle Skin Check provided 723 a free skin check—of these, thirty-six were suspected melanomas. Eight were confirmed to be melanomas. Early intervention is key to fighting melanoma, so I want to thank the staff at Newcastle Skin Check for running this campaign. It will certainly raise awareness about the necessity of getting skin checks and, for eight people at least, may have made all the difference in the world. My thanks also to HMF executive officer Claudia Tolhurst and her team for organising this important and potentially life-saving campaign. I would like to remind everyone listening to be sun smart—and to get skin checks!

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