Media releases 2009

CANBERRA: Australian farmers and their families are being exposed to some of the most dangerous chemicals available, with little training or regulation, a workplace cancer forum was told today (10/12).

CANBERRA: Concerns about cancer clusters in the workplace could be resolved more expeditiously, reducing fear and anxiety among employees, a forum on cancer in the workplace was told today (10/12).

Sun protection will be front and centre court at the Australian Open this summer, with Cancer Council appointed as the official sunscreen supplier for the event.

The Australian Government’s continued investment in its national skin cancer awareness campaign will help to reduce the death and disease burden of Australia’s most preventable cancer type, Cancer Council Australia said today.

Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach became a massive ‘crime scene’ today (15 Nov) in a new Cancer Council campaign that graphically depicts the dangers of tanning.

To watch our 'Crime scene' TV commercial please click here.

Increased tobacco tax and an expanded bowel cancer screening program should be priorities for the 2010-11 federal budget if the Rudd Government is to back its moves towards healthcare reform with decisive action, Cancer Council Australia said today.

Fragmented follow-up care by specialists and GPs, including poor coordination, duplication and inconsistency are compromising the wellbeing of cancer survivors in Australia, according to a leading cancer specialist in an article published today (10 Nov) in the journal Cancer Forum.

Seeing cigarettes for sale increases the likelihood of a person smoking within a four hour period by more than 25 per cent, research has revealed today (9 Oct) at the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Darwin.

Remote Aboriginal communities lack understanding of how to quit smoking and are unable to fully access the support they need to kick the habit, researchers from James Cook University said today (7 October) at the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Darwin.

Parents hold more influence over whether their children are likely to take up smoking than what they may think, New Zealand researchers told the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference today (7 Oct) in Darwin, Australia.

Tobacco companies are developing highly effective marketing online strategies, posing a major challenge for tobacco control across the globe, delegates of the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Darwin will hear today.

New research by Cancer Council has found that the number of solariums across Australian capital cities has declined by 32% over the past three years, with franchises taking the biggest hit.

The Rudd Government has a mandate to increase tobacco tax following the release of its Preventative Health Taskforce’s final recommendations, Cancer Council Australia said today.

Family First Senator Steve Fielding should be commended for tabling a Senate bill to amend the Trade Practices Act and mandate the introduction of plain packaging of cigarette products, Cancer Council Australia said today.

Patenting genetic sequences may stifle groundbreaking research in cancer treatment as well as restrict access to life-saving diagnostic procedures, a Senate hearing in Sydney will hear today.

Media materials including audio and video: www.cancer.org.au/genepatents

Well-known satirist John Clarke and veteran crooner Barry Crocker have added their voices to Cancer Council’s Get Behind Bowel Screening campaign.

A community-based Cancer Council advocacy campaign (www.getbehindbowelscreening.com.au) has motivated 10,000 Australians to call for expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, amid new research showing 93 per cent of bowel cancer patients can survive if diagnosed early.

A rising prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and C in Australia, less than optimal screening and poor uptake of antiviral treatment are contributing to a significant rise in liver cancer in Australia, according to research published in Cancer Forum (www.cancerforum.org.au).

The Federal Opposition should be commended for supporting the increased excise on ready-to-drink spirit mixes because the tax could help prevent cancer deaths, Cancer Council Australia Chief Executive Officer, Professor Ian Olver, said today.

New data on bowel cancer screening released today highlights the urgent need to fully implement screening for all Australians over 50, according to Cancer Council Australia.

Background information and data

A report into the implications of obesity for the Australian health system has been welcomed by the nation’s largest independent disease prevention groups as adding further support to calls to urgently implement a comprehensive national obesity strategy.

World No Tobacco Day 2009 (31/5/09) should prompt the Australian Government to increase the size of graphic warnings on tobacco products, Cancer Council Australia said today.

Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull should be commended for proposing a 12.5 per cent increase in tobacco tax in last night’s budget reply speech, Cancer Council Australia said today.

The gap in cancer care outcomes between rural and metropolitan Australia should begin to close significantly thanks to $560 million in the 2009-10 Budget to build a network of regional cancer centres.

The nation’s largest independent disease prevention groups have called for immediate and serious action to control Australia’s growing weight problem following the release of new data showing 62% of Australians adults are now overweight or obese.

Parents, leading health and consumer groups have renewed calls for tougher advertising regulations, after releasing figures warning that Australian children are force fed about 2200 junk food advertisements on television per year. 

Background information

Almost three-quarters of smokers (74%) say they would try and quit the habit if cigarette prices increased by 50% according to new research released today.

Food labelling must carry clearer front-of-pack information to help Australia’s increasingly overweight population make healthier food choices, the nation’s largest independent disease prevention groups said today.

Front-of-Pack Food Labelling: Agreed public health position

Australian men who drink alcohol should reduce their cancer risk by adhering to new National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines and limit their daily intake to no more than two standard drinks, Cancer Council Australia said today (6 March 2009).

The Australian Government’s skin cancer awareness campaign would return $2.32 for every $1 invested and prevent around 69,000 skin cancer cases over the next two decades, according to new research commissioned by Cancer Council Australia and the Australasian College of Dermatologists.

Cancer Council hits Bondi Beach at 10am on Saturday 21 Feb for a unique SunSmart promotion.

To demonstrate the power of the Australian sun, Cancer Council volunteers will hand out hundreds of red apples scorched with the message ‘Save Your Skin’, along with sunscreen samples.  Grown in a shady orchard over previous weeks, the sun still easily scorched the campaign message onto the skin of these apples. It’s possibly the first time apples have been used as a media channel in an advertising campaign.

World Cancer Day’s (Feb 4) theme of childhood obesity highlights the urgency for the Australian Government to adopt its own Preventative Health Taskforce’s recommendations for a comprehensive national obesity strategy in 2009, Cancer Council Australia said today.