NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam and Shadow Minister for Health, Cancer and Medical Research Jillian Skinner today announced a $60 million Cancer Action Plan to step up the fight against this life-threatening disease, with a focus on increasing the breast screening rate. 

"Jillian Skinner and I will fund a major increase in the number of mammograms carried out by BreastScreen NSW," Mr Debnam said.

“The BreastScreen program was initially established for ‘well women without symptoms aged 50-69, although women aged 40-49 and 70 years and older were able to attend for screening,’

"It's extremely disappointing that only 53% of women aged between 50 and 69 in NSW are having mammograms. And it is alarming Labor introduced a policy in December 2004, to not reinvite women unless they were 50-69.

“There are large numbers of women outside the target age group who will get breast cancer and it is wrong that the government is turning them away from breast screening.

“That's why Jillian and I will fund up to an extra 200,000 mammograms over four years.

"The NSW Liberal/Nationals $60 million plan will:

• Improve access to BreastScreen NSW by providing $20 million for up to an additional 200,000 mammograms over four years;

• Provide an additional $20 million for the Cancer Institute NSW to raise awareness and reduce the incidence of all cancers with a focus on gynaecological and prostate cancers;

• Increase access and reduce waiting times for radiotherapy by providing an additional $2.4 million for more tests;

• Target a reduction in rate of smoking by one percent a year by providing an additional $10.4 million with a focus on young people aged 16-34; and,

• Work in partnership with clinicians, support organisations and consumer groups, such as CanTeen Australia, the Breast Cancer Action Group, and Cancer Voices NSW to provide better access to information and treatment.

"Over 12 years, Labor has built up the Sydney backroom bureaucracy. I want to get those resources out of the backroom bureaucracy and into the frontline in the fight against cancer," Mr Debnam said.

"For example, graduating radiotherapists have approached Jillian and I unable to get work because Labor refuses to provide the places, despite escalating demand for their services," he said.

Mrs Skinner said early detection and new and more effective treatments have improved outcomes for people with cancer over the past few decades, but more needs to be done.

"Cancer is now Australia's leading cause of death among 45-64 year olds and causes more premature deaths than cardiovascular disease.

"Whether they are patients, carers or health professionals; people deserve to have access to reliable and authoritative information about cancer including risk factors, treatment options, clinical trials, and location of treatment and support services," Mrs Skinner said.

"More people need to know about the importance of screening for cancers such as breast cancer, bowel cancer and gynaecological cancers and they should be helped to access those services.

"Better access to early treatment is also a vital aspect of recovery, with multi-disciplinary care, proven to be most effective. Timely access to on-going support and essential resources such as prostheses are also very important.

"More needs to be done to address the workforce shortages – such as in qualified radiotherapists.

"More must also be done to help people give up smoking, particularly groups of people who are specially vulnerable and who have much higher smoking rates such as younger people.

"Tobacco smoking contributes to 54,000 hospitalisations each year, adding to the health system crisis - with hospitals overflowing, a lack of beds, blocked emergency departments and growing waiting lists.

"And more attention needs to be paid to the person with cancer rather than simply treating he or she as ‘a patient’, with cancer survivors actively engaged in decision-making," Mrs Skinner said.

Mr Debnam said virtually every family in NSW has been touched by cancer.