The Andrews Labor Government is helping Victoria’s best and brightest researchers discover new breakthroughs in cancer prevention, treatment and care.
Minister for Health Jill Hennessy today announced the 13 recipients who will share in the Labor Government’s $10 million funding boost to ensure they can continue working on ground-breaking discoveries and medical breakthroughs.
The Victorian Cancer Agency’s Cancer Health Services Research grants arm our best medical research experts with the tools and resources they need to develop new ways to treat cancer – and work towards finding a cure.
The funding round includes two new targeted programs aimed at improving cancer rates among Aboriginal Victorians and people with upper gastrointestinal cancers.
Currently, Aboriginal women are nearly three times more likely to develop cervical cancer and nearly four times more likely to die from the disease compared with non-Aboriginal women.
Upper gastrointestinal cancers have some of the lowest survival rates. Three new projects will look into preventing liver cancer, better detection of pancreatic cancer and improving the quality of care for patients.
The inaugural Victorian Cancer Agency Improving Cancer Outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians project aims to improve cervical cancer outcomes among Aboriginal women.
More people are surviving cancer than ever before. The five-year survival rate for Victorians diagnosed with cancer has increased from 48 per cent in 1986 to 68 per cent in 2016.
The Labor Government’s Victorian Cancer Action Plan 2016-20 has set an ambitious target of saving 10,000 lives from cancer in the next ten years.
Since it was established by the former Labor Government in 2006, the Victorian Cancer Agency has invested more than $200 million towards cancer research.
Vital programs like these risk being axed by the Liberals, because cuts to health are in the Liberals’ DNA. They cut a billion dollars from health when they were last in office, and they’ll do it again if they get the chance.
To view the grant recipients visit
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“Victoria has some of the best cancer survival rates in the world – and it’s testament to our proud track record of investing in world-class cancer prevention, treatment and research.”
“The fight against cancer is far from won, which is why we’re supporting the next generation of cancer researchers and fast-tracking new breakthroughs in cancer treatment and care.”
“Targeting cancers with poor survival rates and improving cancer outcomes for Aboriginal Victorians will make a real difference to the lives of many patients battling this insidious disease.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020