27/01/2026
AMA Victoria supports petition for dedicated sunscreen time at the start of school lunch
Melanoma is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australians age 15-29 and the10th most common cause of cancer-related death in Australia. Childhood is a critical period of vulnerability, with one severe sunburn in childhood more than doubling melanoma risk.
During school lunchtime UV exposure is at its peak and sunscreen applied in the morning has worn off, leaving children with only their hat to protect them. Currently, schools are not required to provide dedicated suncreening time. Implementing school policy of setting aside 5 minutes to reapply sunscreen at the start of lunch will save lives. It will also reduce the burden of skin cancer on the healthcare system, which currently costs $1.72 billion a year.
Skin cancer is preventable, and in the land of 'slip, slop, slap' we need to support our children to protect themselves from this disease.
AMA Victoria strongly supports the petition by Dr Kerith Whittigan for 5 minutes of dedicated sunscreen time at the start of lunch to protect children from skin cancer.
Support the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/support-sunscreening-in-schools-5-minutes-to-save-a-life?cs_tk=A0K6LhULLa9IUe84eGkAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvGExZTI4NDRkM2Y5MzE1YzcxNmQ3N2M4ZDMxODQxYzVhZGYyNDAzZjFhNGQ2MzI3YzNlMzU1OTMxZGEwMGY5MGM%3D&utm_campaign=cdb1cb3b72ad45fc8bbc9abdc30a7bae&utm_content=sunrise_v1_0_2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=aa_augmented_sign_ask&utm_term=cs