Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (18:55): (2289) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Education, and the action I am seeking is for the government to mandate a dedicated sunscreen application time at the start of school lunch breaks. I first want to thank the Australian Medical Association for reaching out to Dr Tim Read, my colleague in the other place, and me for bringing this great idea to our attention.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, with melanoma being the most common cancer in people aged 15 to 29. Statistically, we are all likely to either be diagnosed with or know someone who has been diagnosed with a skin cancer. In fact at least two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. My wonderful colleague and dear friend Dr Tim Read last week spoke about his own current experience with metastatic melanoma. His passion around prevention is deeply personal, but his experience is, sadly, not rare. Many of us in this place are likely to know someone who has had melanoma. I have got several family members who have. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that Australia has the highest age-standardised melanoma incidence rate in the world: 36.6 cases per 100,000 people. These are pretty scary numbers, but we can actually change them, because melanoma, or at least most of it, can be prevented with some very simple strategies. We know that childhood sun exposure greatly increases the risk of developing skin cancers later in life. Just one severe sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person’s risk of developing melanoma or another skin cancer later in life.

That is why I want to raise the proposal put forward by the Australian Medical Association Victoria to mandate sunscreen time at the start of school lunch breaks. I found it incredible, with my kids going from preschool and long day care settings, where regular reapplication of sunscreen throughout the day was so routine, that my little girl knew when she was four that when the UV was over 3 you had to put your sunscreen on. When they go to school there is no requirement at all. It is pretty simple to make sure kids slip, slop, slap at the start of lunchtime. We would see much less skin cancer in our population. There is really no reason not to do this. Lunchtime is when the UV exposure is at its highest. Sunscreen applied before school – which not all kids will be doing, but hopefully some will be – will usually wear off by the time lunchtime rolls around, meaning many students’ only protection is a hat and the clothing that they have got on. Five minutes at the start of lunch to slop on sunscreen could make a real difference.

According to the AMA, this proposal would take a huge strain off the health system, as treating skin cancers currently costs $1.72 billion a year. Prevention is not just the right thing to do for our kids, it will also save us money. Australia has led the world with ‘slip, slop, slap’ public health campaigns, but it is time that Victoria led the way by mandating sunscreen breaks in school. It is a simple idea, and it will save lives.