Victorian Greens

Greens' spokesperson for health, Senator Richard Di Natale, is calling on the Government to fund the expansion of Australia's bowel cancer screening program as recommended by the Cancer Council in its pre-budget submission. 

"Evidence shows that Australia's National Bowel Screening Program has been very successful in earlier diagnosis of disease, which leads to a better prognosis for patients and reduced costs on the health system.

"The current Federal Government screening program only targets people turning 50, 55 and 60 for one off tests, which greatly limits its effectiveness.

"I am calling for the program to funded to make biennial screening available to all people over 50, as was recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council and by the Cancer Council in its pre-budget submission. The program should also include an awareness campaign because most high-risk individuals are still failing to be screened, according to recent reports.

"This is a healthcare initiative that would most certainly save a great number of lives and it is not overly expensive. 

"The Cancer Council costs it at $150 million a year, which would still be a small part of the annual expenditure on bowel cancer in Australia. Considering that a more comprehensive screening program could save up to 30 lives per week, it's a bargain in my book.

"It has been estimated that the prevalence of bowel cancer could increase by as much as 50 per cent over the next decade - therefore this should be a priority now."

Media contact: Andrew Blyberg 0457 901 600