Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has condemned the Australian Government's intention to end funding for its Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Program from 30 June 2027.
PCFA Chairman Adjunct Associate Professor Steve Callister AM said thousands of men impacted by prostate cancer would be disadvantaged by the move.
"Defunding PCFA's program, which provides a completely different service to the McGrath program, at a time when more than 300,000 Australian men are impacted by the disease is indefensible," Adj A/Prof Callister said.
"This program has been built over more than a decade and is trusted by men, families, clinicians and communities around the country. The Government has presented no credible case for dismantling it.
"We are calling on Health Minister Mark Butler to intervene, reconsider this decision, and guarantee the future of PCFA's program - a program that only PCFA can provide."
The current funding agreement has ten months remaining, while the Government's own independent evaluation of its cancer nursing and navigation programs will not conclude until June 2027.
PCFA CEO Anne Savage said men and families would pay a high price.
"PCFA nurses support men through some of the most difficult decisions and experiences of their lives - from diagnosis and treatment to survivorship, advanced disease and end-of-life care.
"They are not interchangeable with the McGrath all cancer service. Their specialist knowledge, trusted clinical relationships, and deep understanding of prostate cancer have been built over many years."
PCFA's nursing service delivers nearly 150,000 consultations each year and supports more than 22,000 new patients, in addition to its support of existing patients. Its specialist nurses work alongside hospitals and clinical teams across Australia, helping men navigate complex treatment decisions, manage side effects and access coordinated support.
Adj A/Prof Callister said the decision demanded immediate public and parliamentary scrutiny.
"The Government must release the decision, its reasons, the evidence relied upon and its assessment of the consequences for patients and health services," he said.
"If it will not reconsider, Parliament must examine how this decision was made and why the Government's own evaluation process has apparently been pre-empted."
PCFA is calling on the Australian Government to:
- Immediately reconsider its intention to defund the program;
- Guarantee that all existing services will continue unchanged until at least 30 June 2027;
- Release the decision, reasons, evidence and patient-impact assessment;
- Complete the independent evaluation before determining the program's future;
- Undertake genuine consultation with patients, nurses, clinicians, health services and PCFA; and
- Guarantee continued access to tumour-specific prostate cancer nursing expertise.
"Men with prostate cancer should not pay the price for an unexplained restructuring of cancer services," Ms Savage said.
"PCFA will pursue every available avenue to protect these nurses and the men and families they support, including urgent parliamentary scrutiny and examination of our contractual and legal rights.
"The Government must pause, release the evidence and listen to the people who will bear the consequences of this decision."
Comments from Wayne Swan, Chair, PCFA Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer
"Australia cannot eliminate deaths from prostate cancer while dismantling the specialist workforce men rely on," Mr Swan said.
"Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. Defunding a proven national nursing program before the Government's own evaluation is complete makes no sense.
"The Minister must reconsider this decision, release the evidence behind it and listen to the men, families and clinicians who understand what will be lost."
