31 August 2026

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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:

1. Immediately reconsider its intention to defund the program;

2. Guarantee that all existing services will continue unchanged until at least 30 June 2027;

3. Release the decision, reasons, evidence and patient-impact assessment;

4. Complete the independent evaluation before determining the program’s future;

5. Undertake genuine consultation with patients, nurses, clinicians, health services and PCFA; and

6. 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.”

Comments from Professor Damien Bolton, President, Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand

“Prostate cancer nursing is a specialist field requiring detailed knowledge of diagnosis, treatment, side effects, survivorship and advanced disease,” Professor Bolton said.

“PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses are embedded in hospital teams and provide support for patients at the time of diagnosis and in the months and years beyond their diagnosis, which is of unquestionable value.

“Specialist nurses are integral members of multidisciplinary prostate cancer teams. They help patients understand complex treatment choices, manage complications and remain connected to appropriate clinical care throughout their cancer experience.

“Any change to this nationally established service must be guided by clinical evidence and careful consultation. Men must not lose access to tumour-specific expertise or experience disruption to their continuity of care.”

ENDS

Media contact:
Anne Savage, CEO, 0417 709 869

About Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia

Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is Australia’s leading community-based organisation for prostate cancer research, awareness and support. Over the past 30 years, PCFA has funded around $80 million of prostate cancer research, grown its nursing workforce to 133 Specialist Nurses nationwide, and distributed nearly one million information booklets to the Australian community.

Facts about PCFA’s Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service

  • PCFA established the service in 2012 with 12 nurses. It has grown into a national network of 133 Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses located nationwide.
  • PCFA nurses deliver nearly 150,000 patient consultations each year across Australia.
  • The network includes Commonwealth-funded, community-funded and partner-funded positions; the Government’s decision directly affects the Commonwealth-funded component.
  • PCFA nurses specialise exclusively in prostate cancer, supporting men and families from diagnosis through treatment, side-effect management, survivorship, recurrence, advanced disease and end-of-life care.
  • Nurses work within metropolitan, regional and rural health services, improving access to multidisciplinary teams, coordinating treatment pathways and providing a trusted point of contact for patients and families.
  • PCFA’s model creates a three-way clinical partnership between specialist clinicians, Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurses and PCFA as the national coordinating organisation.
  • Clinicians help shape PCFA’s nursing education, Practice Framework and Competency Standards, model of care and clinical governance through its Board and clinical advisory structures. PCFA’s specialist nursing practice framework
  • PCFA connects its nurses through national education, professional development, peer support, evidence-based resources and links to its Telenursing, Counselling and Support Group services.
  • Previous analysis found that the program returned an estimated net social benefit of $1.65 for every dollar invested, including fewer emergency presentations and hospitalisations, reduced clinical consulting time and fewer missed appointments. Program impact figures
  • More than 309,000 Australian men are alive today after a prostate cancer diagnosis—the greatest prevalence of any cancer type in Australia. PCFA’s specialist nursing network provides nationally coordinated, tumour-specific support at a scale no broader cancer navigation service currently replicates.