Australia has the evidence. We have the guidelines. Now we need national action.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) has backed Health Services Union NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes’ call for a national prostate cancer awareness campaign and organised testing program, saying Australia can no longer afford to leave early detection to chance.
Mr Hayes has today publicly told of his recent diagnosis with prostate cancer following a PSA blood test, calling for greater government investment in helping Australian men understand their risk and get tested.
PCFA says his call comes at a critical time.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, with around 29,000 men diagnosed each year and more than 4,000 deaths expected annually. More than 300,000 Australian men are living after a diagnosis.
In August, Australia released new 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer, developed by PCFA and approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The Guidelines provide Australia with a modern, evidence-based framework for risk assessment, PSA testing and early detection – but PCFA says investment is now needed to put that evidence into practice nationally.
Chair of PCFA’s National Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer and former Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Wayne Swan said Gerard Hayes had put a human face to an urgent national problem.
“Gerard Hayes is alive to tell this story because his cancer was found in time. That should be the rule in Australia, not a matter of luck.
“We know early detection saves lives. We now have world-leading Australian guidelines telling us how to do it better. What we don’t yet have is a national system that makes sure every man gets the message and every man at risk has a fair chance of being tested.
“Australians overwhelmingly support action. The time has come for a national awareness campaign and an organised, risk-based testing program that reaches men wherever they live.
“We have done this for other major cancers. Australian men deserve the same national focus on prostate cancer.”
PCFA’s national Men’s Health Survey, released in June, found almost 98 per cent of Australians support the introduction of a national risk-based prostate cancer testing program, while Australians also identified cost pressures, difficulties accessing doctors and waiting times as barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment.
PCFA National Chairman Adjunct Associate Professor Steve Callister AM said Australia now had an unprecedented opportunity to turn advances in early detection into fewer deaths.
“For too long, prostate cancer testing in Australia has been inconsistent and opportunistic.
“The science has changed. Diagnostic technology has changed. Our national Guidelines have changed. Our approach must change with them.
“A properly designed national program can help identify men at greatest risk, detect aggressive cancers earlier and reduce unnecessary investigation and treatment.
“The next step is implementation. We need government leadership to translate the Guidelines into a coordinated national program, backed by a major public awareness campaign.
“One man lost is one too many. We have an opportunity now to change the trajectory of this disease.”
The new Guidelines reflect more than a decade of advances in prostate cancer detection and diagnosis, including more personalised assessment based on age and risk, contemporary PSA testing, MRI before biopsy where indicated, and improved diagnostic pathways designed to identify clinically significant cancers while reducing unnecessary harm.
PCFA Chief Executive Officer Anne Savage said awareness was fundamental to making the new recommendations work.
“The new guidelines cannot save lives if the men who need them don’t know they exist.
“Gerard’s story demonstrates exactly why awareness matters. Men need to know their risk, they need clear information about PSA testing, and they need confidence to start the conversation with their GP.
“Around one million Australian men may be at significantly increased risk because of their family history alone. Yet too many men simply don’t know what their risk is or when they should act.
“Australia needs a national awareness campaign that speaks directly to men and families, backed by an organised testing program that turns our new Guidelines into everyday practice.
“We have the evidence. We have the clinical framework. We have overwhelming public support. What we need now is the national commitment to make early detection work for every Australian man.”
PCFA established the National Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer earlier this year to develop a coordinated roadmap towards eliminating avoidable deaths from the disease, with early detection, awareness, equitable access to care and research among its priorities.
PCFA has previously called for a nationwide early-detection campaign and warned that persistent gaps in awareness mean men at increased risk may not know when they should seek testing.
