❓ Dr. Walker inquires about government support for UWA's cannabinoid-based melanoma research, given skin cancer prevalence in WA. The government outlines current support and reviews new treatments.
AnsweredQoN 156Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CANNABINOID-DERIVED
COMPOUNDS — CANCER TREATMENT
156. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
Will the minister join me in
congratulating the research team at the University of Western Australia who, in
conjunction with colleagues at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and
Charles Darwin University, have found cannabinoid-derived compounds have the
potential to function as anti-cancer agents against melanoma cells, and can the
minister tell me the following?
(1) How prevalent is skin cancer in
Western Australia?
(2) What is the
Cook government is doing to combat melanomas, which cause more than 80 per cent
of related skin cancer deaths nationwide?
(3) What role, if
any, is the Cook government likely to have in funding or otherwise supporting
this promising research as it moves towards human trials?
The PRESIDENT : I call the
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, noting that the question
sought an awful lot of information and I hope the honourable member's
answer is concise.
COMPOUNDS — CANCER TREATMENT
156. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Health:
Will the minister join me in
congratulating the research team at the University of Western Australia who, in
conjunction with colleagues at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and
Charles Darwin University, have found cannabinoid-derived compounds have the
potential to function as anti-cancer agents against melanoma cells, and can the
minister tell me the following?
(1) How prevalent is skin cancer in
Western Australia?
(2) What is the
Cook government is doing to combat melanomas, which cause more than 80 per cent
of related skin cancer deaths nationwide?
(3) What role, if
any, is the Cook government likely to have in funding or otherwise supporting
this promising research as it moves towards human trials?
The PRESIDENT : I call the
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health, noting that the question
sought an awful lot of information and I hope the honourable member's
answer is concise.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following has been provided by the Minister
for Health.
(1) In 2019,
melanoma was the third most common cancer in Western Australia, with 1 634
cases, or 11.5 per cent.
(2) Each major teaching hospital in Perth has its own
skin cancer clinic. The WA government continues to fund the ongoing
management of melanoma cases, particularly complex or advanced cases, through
its support of the WA Kirkbride Melanoma Advisory Service and Sun Smart
campaigns through the Cancer Council WA. In addition, the future health
research and innovation fund is the state government's primary vehicle
for the provision of health and medical research and innovation funding. To
date, $1.84 million has been awarded toward research when melanoma is the
primary focus.
(3) The Cook government is
constantly reviewing new, safe and well-evidenced treatment methods.
some notice of the question. The following has been provided by the Minister
for Health.
(1) In 2019,
melanoma was the third most common cancer in Western Australia, with 1 634
cases, or 11.5 per cent.
(2) Each major teaching hospital in Perth has its own
skin cancer clinic. The WA government continues to fund the ongoing
management of melanoma cases, particularly complex or advanced cases, through
its support of the WA Kirkbride Melanoma Advisory Service and Sun Smart
campaigns through the Cancer Council WA. In addition, the future health
research and innovation fund is the state government's primary vehicle
for the provision of health and medical research and innovation funding. To
date, $1.84 million has been awarded toward research when melanoma is the
primary focus.
(3) The Cook government is
constantly reviewing new, safe and well-evidenced treatment methods.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.