Northern Victoria Region
Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (14:11): (898) My question is to the Minister for Health. Constituents in Bendigo have contacted me outraged by the Labor government’s decision to slash a staggering 75 per cent of funding from the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance in the state budget. The Liberals and Nationals ask the minister to reverse this decision and restore funding to the VCCC Alliance. Families across Northern Victoria have been impacted by cancer, including my own, and the number of Victorians diagnosed with cancer is continuing to rise. 35,000 Victorians were diagnosed with cancer in 2022, and rates are worse in regional areas. Regional Victorians are 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed than those in major cities and 47 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma. Lung cancer is more common, and head and neck cancers are 33 per cent higher, in regional males. Over the last 30 years Victoria has led the way with cancer research, and this massive funding cut makes no sense. It will slash vital cancer research programs, lead to a loss of jobs and reduce the support available to patients.