That the Senate—

(a) notes the recommendations of the February 1995 report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Community Affairs to amend the Medicare rebate schedule to include the provision of mammary prostheses;

(b) recognises:

(i) the ongoing cost (financial, physical and emotional) of wearing required prostheses and shell/breast forms, and acknowledges the strain on muscles and posture following the loss of a breast or a significant part of the breast, and

(ii) the ongoing cost of prostheses and acknowledges that there is no Commonwealth Government scheme to reduce the financial burden faced by women following breast surgery for those in need of prosthetics;

(c) notes the Canberra Times article, `Dead Women's Breast Prostheses Resold', appearing on 3 June 2002, detailing the reuse of mammary prostheses amongst breast cancer patients facing financial hardship; and

(d) calls on the Government to provide mammary prostheses through the Medicare rebate schedule.