Health Minister Roger Cook today announced Healthway grants totalling $899,956 towards the education and promotion of sun safety to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.
Two in three Australians will develop skin cancer before the age of 70, and every year more than 2,300 people die from the disease.
In Western Australia in 2014, more than 230 people died from skin cancer (melanoma and non-melanoma).
A grant of $825,000 has been allocated to the Cancer Council of Western Australia to continue its SunSmart awareness campaign until the end of 2020.
The funding, provided by the State Government through Healthway, will go towards sun protection awareness raising initiatives such as the continuation of the digital outdoor worker ultraviolet (UV) daily campaign and SunSmart fashion project in partnership with Curtin University.
In addition, more than $74,000 has also been granted to the Telethon Kids Institute to develop and test an online tool, targeted at teenagers – in particular those aged 12-13, to improve awareness of good sun protection and Vitamin D.