📣 BreastScreen progress has flatlined. BCNA’s response to AIHW data.
Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) is calling on the Federal Government to immediately action recommended reforms to the national BreastScreen program. The newly released BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report 2025 reveals a disappointing 2% increase in participation between 2021–22 and 2023–24. “Yes, more women are being screened — but that’s because there are more women, not because the program is performing better.” Says Vicki Durston, BCNA’s Director or Policy, Advocacy and Support Services BCNA is calling for urgent reform: ✅ Risk-based screening ✅ Breast density reporting ✅ AI & innovation investment ✅ National consistency ✅ Equity for Indigenous women BCNA says women and families cannot wait any longer for an effective, modern breast screening program and is calling for urgent action. Read BCNA’s full response at https://www.bcna.org.au/media-releases/breastscreen-progress-has-flatlined-bcna-responds-to-aihw-data/📅 Save the Date - New Global Breast Cancer Care Framework
If you've got an interest into the healthcare system side of the breast cancer experience, you might like to join the VCCC Alliance for an upcoming online event introducing the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index (BCCQI) - a new, globally informed framework designed to help identify gaps in breast cancer care and support action aligned with the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative. 🗓 Monday 2 March 2026 🕐 1.00–2.00pm AEDT (Melb/Syd time) 📍 Online Hear from three international leaders involved in the development of this innovative measurement framework, including: Dr Benjamin Anderson (WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative) Dr Maira Caleffi (Union for International Cancer Control) Dr Ana Rita Gonzalez (Policy Wisdom) This session will explore the global breast cancer cost, the need for consistent care, and how the BCCQI can support countries to translate global targets into meaningful local action within healthcare systems. 🔔 Save the date! 👉 Event information: VCCC Alliance event page🌍 Global Advocacy Win: Breast Cancer Named in UN Political Declaration 🎉
We’re excited to share a major milestone in BCNA's advocacy. Last week, the United Nations formally adopted the Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health - and through the advocacy work of BCNA, breast cancer is explicitly named in the final text 🎉 ✨ Why this matters: Although it might seem confusing for BCNA to focus our advocacy efforts overseas as well as in Australia, the UN declaration helps place critical attention on our own government's ongoing priorities for policy and investment issues that impact people affected by breast cancer. It also enshrines international accountability for supporting people living with breast cancer. 💪 How BCNA made this happen: In July, when breast cancer was missing from the draft UN Declaration, BCNA met with the Australian Ambassador to the UN and the Mission team in New York. We did this because something we know, after 27 years of advocating for people affected by breast cancer, is what is named gets attention, and what is not named is often overlooked. Within 24 hours, we partnered with the Institute of Cancer Policy at King’s College London to produce evidence-based recommendations, informed by lived experience and global data. This paper helped shape Australia’s position, verified by Cancer Australia, DFAT, DoHA, and ministerial offices. In the final negotiations, Australia called for breast cancer to be named. No other country did. But once Australia spoke up, others followed. The result: breast cancer is now in the Declaration and people living with breast cancer in Australia are more empowered to keep speaking up and working towards strengthening our healthcare rights. Thank you to all BCNA staff, partners, and the Australian Government for trusting us to lead this work. Your efforts made this global outcome possible. 📄 If you’re interested on what this all means from an impact perspective, you can read more: 👉UN Political Declaration: https://lnkd.in/gm8fV2MY 👉BCNA & Institute of Cancer Policy paper: https://lnkd.in/gQJcTTSf 👉BCNA takes your voice to the UN General Assembly: https://www.bcna.org.au/bcna-takes-your-voice-to-the-un-general-assembly📊 The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released 2025 breast cancer statistics.
Australia continues to lead globally in breast cancer survival rates. The latest 2025 data reveals: ❣️ Five-year survival has risen to 93% (up from 75% in 1987–1991). ❣️ In 2025, around 20,336 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer, including 207 men. ❣️ Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in Australian women, making up 27% of all new cases. ❣️ The average age of diagnosis is 62, with 80% of cases occurring in women over 50. ❣️ Metastatic breast cancer remains undercounted, but estimates suggest up to 16,000 people are living with it in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland. BCNA continues to advocate for national data collection. These statistics highlight both progress and ongoing challenges in breast cancer care and support. Most importantly, they remind us of the big picture behind our WHY - together we work to improve these numbers year on year. 👉 Click here to read more and download the infographic.📢BCNA gets the seal of approval from Mark Butler MP
This week BCNA’s Director of Policy, Advocacy and Support Services, Vicki Durston, will speak at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, to amplify the voices of those affected by breast cancer. Why does this matter ❓ Breast cancer wasn’t mentioned in the UN’s global health draft declaration until BCNA advocated to change that. What happens in these global discussions impacts your care, research funding, and access to treatments here in Australia. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, and rates are rising. Your voices are powerful, BCNA’s network and lived experience have made a real difference on the world stage, influencing governments and health policies. Breast cancer isn’t done yet and neither are we. Together, we’ll continue advocating for improved outcomes for those affected by breast cancer. 💪💗 🔗Read more about BCNA’s advocacy at https://www.bcna.org.au/bcna-takes-your-voice-to-the-un-general-assembly/
