Come along and meet our Specialist Nurses - and the men who need them.
On Thursday 15 October, we'll be bringing our PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses to Parliament House, alongside the men and families who need them. We would be honoured by your attendance.
When: 12.00-2.00pm, Thursday 15 October 2026
Where: Parliamentary Courtyards 27 J & K, Parliament House, Canberra
Why: In support of Australian men and families impacted by prostate cancer, supporting PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses
Why your attendance matters
The Commonwealth has decided to end funding for 96 PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses from 1 July 2027.
These nurses are part of a national program of 131 PCFA specialist nursing practitioners, built over 15 years to support Australian men from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, advanced disease and end-of-life care.
The decision places that specialist workforce, and the standard of care it provides, at risk.
More than 300,000 Australian men are alive today after a prostate cancer diagnosis. Around 29,000 more will be diagnosed this year.
Please join us on 15 October to meet our Specialist Nurses and the men who need them.
Supporting information
Download our one-page backgrounder
Four good reasons why Australia must protect specialist prostate cancer nursing.
Download the campaign infographic
Learn more about PCFA’s Specialist Nursing Service and its value.
Read our letter to the Minister for Health, the Hon. Mark Butler MP
Read our request for an urgent meeting to discuss the decision.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions
Where we give you an honest account of what's at stake.
Specialist nurses provide specialist care
PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses work alongside urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, GPs and multidisciplinary teams across Australia.
Their expertise includes:
- treatment options and treatment-related side effects
- surgery, radiation therapy and hormone therapy
- continence and sexual function
- psychological wellbeing and family support
- survivorship, recurrence and advanced disease
This expertise takes years to develop. It cannot simply be transferred to another organisation or absorbed into a general cancer navigation service.
Greater investment in cancer nursing should expand the care available to Australians without dismantling specialist services that already work.
What is at risk
The decision threatens:
- A highly skilled workforce: Many experienced PCFA Specialist Nurses have indicated they may leave rather than move into a less specialised model.
- Continuity of care: Prostate cancer can have lifelong physical and psychological consequences. Specialist support must extend well beyond diagnosis and initial treatment.
- Established clinical networks: PCFA nurses are embedded in hospitals and cancer services and connected through national education, clinical governance and professional support.
- Proven value: Independent analysis found that PCFA Specialist Nursing Services return $1.65 in social value for every dollar invested, including through fewer emergency presentations and hospitalisations.
Once this workforce disperses, reversing the decision will not bring it back.
What PCFA is asking the Government to do
1. Reverse the decision
Continue Commonwealth funding for PCFA’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service through to 30 June 2031.
2. Preserve specialist care
Embed PCFA’s existing service within the Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program while retaining its specialist workforce, clinical governance and national identity.
3. Enhance care through collaboration
Fund greater collaboration between specialist and broader cancer nursing services so Australian men and families receive the right care at every stage of prostate cancer.
Come and hear directly from those affected
The Big Aussie Barbie and Day of Action will bring Parliamentarians together with PCFA Specialist Nurses, survivors, and our community.
Join us and hear more about what specialist nursing means in practice, what Australia stands to lose, and how the Government can protect this service while continuing to expand cancer nursing nationally.
For more information or to request a briefing, contact our team via enquiries@pcfa.org.au.
RSVP By Friday 2 October to Hannah.Lunnay@pcfa.org.au.
Remember the men we’ve lost. Protect the men still with us.
Specialist nurses. Specialist care. A service worth protecting.
