Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

The National Cancer Screening Register Amendment Bill 2024 will amend the National Cancer Screening Register Act 2016 to add lung cancer to the definition of 'designated cancer' and to the coverage of the National Cancer Screening Register. The act provides a legislative framework for the operation of the National Cancer Screening Register, and it established the register as a repository of information about screening associated with certain types of cancer for the purpose of supporting cancer screening programs.

The register commenced operation in 2017. Since its commencement, the register has facilitated delivery of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program and the National Cervical Screening Program. The addition of lung cancer as a designated cancer in the act will enable a third cancer screening program, the new National Lung Cancer Screening Program, to be delivered through the register from the program's commencement in July 2025. Importantly, by adding lung cancer as a designated cancer in the act, the bill will extend the scope of the register to screening and diagnosis associated with lung cancer screening. By extension, the bill will enable healthcare providers to access patients' lung cancer screening information to assist in their clinical decision-making, contributing to cancer detection, treatment and prevention in Australia. As a repository of lung cancer screening and diagnoses, the register will support the monitoring of the effectiveness, quality and safety of lung cancer screening to improve service delivery of the new program. From a privacy perspective, by adding lung cancer as a designated cancer, the bill will extend existing protections for participants' personal and sensitive information to the lung cancer screening information that will be held in the register.

This bill will serve to benefit the health of Australians by enabling support for lung cancer screening pathways, leveraged through the existing purposes of the register. The bill is small, containing two minor amendments. The program will have a positive impact on First Nations people and other priority populations disproportionately impacted by lung cancer, including those living in rural, remote and very remote areas, people with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse population groups.

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer related deaths in Australia and has a major impact on the Australian community in terms of morbidity and mortality. My nanna Elaine, who passed away 10 years ago, was successfully treated for lung cancer. With this new National Lung Cancer Screening Program, tens of thousands of Australians will benefit from early detection, treatment and, importantly, prevention. This bill, in supporting the implementation of the new program, is expected to prevent more than 500 lung cancer deaths every year.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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