‘For me, it’s personal’. Wayne Swan on the fight against our most common cancer

Australia stands at a crossroads in the fight against prostate cancer. For too long, this disease – the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia – has been met with fragmented efforts, inconsistent awareness and, too often, silence. The establishment of a National Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer offers us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that trajectory.

This is not simply a policy initiative. For me, it is deeply personal.

I have seen the devastating impact of this disease first hand. I watched my father endure what I once described in parliament as “the most agonising death” from aggressive prostate cancer. Years later, I faced my own diagnosis. Like many men, I initially felt a profound sense of fear and powerlessness. But what changed that experience – what gave me and my family the strength to act – was knowledge. Knowledge quite literally saved my life.

And yet, decades on, we are still failing too many Australian men.

Back in 2003, I warned parliament about the dangerously low level of awareness surrounding prostate cancer. Today, while there has been progress in treatment and survival, the fundamental problem remains: too many men are diagnosed too late. Too many are unaware of their risk. Too many are missing the opportunity for early detection that could save their lives.

We would never accept this outcome in other cancers. The time has come to seize the same momentum our mothers and sisters have fought for in the fight against breast cancer. Public awareness, national screening programs, and sustained investment have transformed outcomes for women. We must do the same for Australian men, recognising that thousands of families are impacted.

This is not just a health failure – it is a failure of fairness.

Each year, nearly 29,000 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and close to 4,000 lose their lives. These are not just statistics. They are fathers, brothers, sons, and friends. And in many cases, their deaths are avoidable.

We know that early detection saves lives. We know that targeted, risk-based testing can identify those most at risk. And we know that coordinated national strategies deliver results. What we have lacked is the national will and the structural coordination to bring these elements together.

That is why the National Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer matters.

This committee will develop the first coordinated national road map to eliminate avoidable deaths from prostate cancer. It will bring together government, clinicians, researchers, and community leaders to align investment, improve access to early detection, and ensure that no man is left behind because of where he lives or what he earns.

What will that road map look like in practice? It will look like a sustained national education and awareness campaign that empowers men and their families with the knowledge to act early. It will look like an organised, risk-based testing program that ensures men are proactively reminded and supported to participate in life-saving PSA testing. And it will look like a major uplift in research investment, so that Australian men facing the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer can access cutting-edge clinical trials, new treatments, and the hope that comes with medical innovation.

Most importantly, it will look like a nation finally treating prostate cancer with the urgency, co-ordination, and ambition it deserves.

I have long believed, from my time in public life, that governments can do big things when they choose to act. History shows us that bold, coordinated policy can transform lives. But it requires leadership, persistence and a willingness to confront complacency.

This is one of those moments.

Eliminating avoidable deaths from prostate cancer is not beyond us. It is an achievable national goal – if we commit to it. But we cannot afford half-measures. We must reach every man at risk, empower them with knowledge and ensure equitable access to testing and treatment.

At its core, this is about dignity and fairness. It is about setting a standard that should apply to all Australians. And it is about protecting future generations from the loss we have suffered in the past.

Because one man lost is one too many. And this is our chance to chart a new direction.

Wayne Swan is a former treasurer of Australia.