The government announced on August 31 its intention to end funding for the program on June 30, 2027.
At the same time, it announced that $46.5 million over five years (2027-28 to 2031-32) would go to further expanding the McGrath Foundation Cancer Care Nurse service to include prostate cancer nurses from July 1, 2027.
“Given the fact that the entire framework is in place after 10 to 12 years of hard work and the fact that we have so many specialised nurses now available with the training and advice they now have, it is one of the strangest decisions in recent memory from the government and shows how out of touch they are with the general community,” Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch committee chair Travis Ryan said.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia currently supports a national network of 131 specialist prostate cancer nurses, including 96 Commonwealth-funded positions, with 35 nurses funded through local community and partner organisations.
The transfer of funds to the McGrath Foundation Cancer Care Nurse service will support 60.5 full-time prostate cancer nurse positions in health and hospital services around Australia.
GV Health’s two dedicated specialist prostate cancer nurses are funded locally through the Shepparton Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch, which raises enough money to also fund a dedicated specialist bowel cancer nurse.
“Without a strong national PCFA network, locally funded nurses may have reduced access to specialist education, professional development, mentoring and peer support,” Mr Ryan said.
“The Shepparton community has worked hard to build and sustain a high-quality prostate cancer specialist nursing service. We are concerned this decision may weaken the support systems that help local nurses deliver the best possible care.”
The community funding raised at the luncheon is intended to support a strong PCFA nursing program, not to replace government support.
This year’s event, held last month, saw 1300 attendees raise somewhere in the vicinity of $300,000. The final figure is yet to be tallied.
“We are concerned that community groups like the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch may be expected to carry a greater burden for sustaining services that have traditionally been supported through a partnership between local fundraising and Commonwealth investment,” Mr Ryan said.
“We are working as hard as we can to raise awareness and get blokes in for testing.
“As seen by our region’s figures, this is working and shows how people are supporting the idea of having specialised nurses caring for them.”
Mr Ryan and the committee believe many men will slip through the cracks if the proposed model goes ahead.
“It will mean they aren’t detected early enough, which we know effects positive results post surgery and more than likely will result in some unnecessary deaths,” Mr Ryan said.
“As someone who is in the high-risk category of getting prostate cancer this move is hugely concerning for me going forward.
“I am aware of what the disease is so am checking for it, but what about the normal bloke off the street who has no idea about it?
“This decision certainly puts that group of males in a worse position and it will cost lives; it’s a huge step backwards in the fight against prostate cancer.”
According to the PCFA, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and the second most common cause of death from cancer in Australian men (accounting for 13 per cent of cancer-related deaths).
Latest figures suggested around 28,868 Australian men would be diagnosed with the disease last year.
Around 79 men are diagnosed every day, with one in five men estimated to be diagnosed in their lifetime.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data last year showed deaths from prostate cancer had risen around 30 per cent since 2007, with around 4000 men estimated to die from the disease last year, or, more than 11 each day.
But 96 per cent of men diagnosed will survive for at least five years and 91 per cent will live more than 10 years.
The PCFA says early detection and diagnosis are key to increasing prostate cancer survival rates.
The government has said the McGrath Cancer Care Nurses will continue to work with the PCFA specialist support service, particularly in providing survivorship care for men living with and beyond prostate cancer.
