Message from the President - January 2026
Ongoing Investment In Cancer Nursing
We welcome the Australian Government’s announcement of continued investment in the McGrath Cancer Care Nurse Service, with extra funding from 2027 for an additional 100 full-time equivalent positions nationwide (boosting the number of Commonwealth-supported nursing places to 350 by 2032).
This investment recognises the value of specialist cancer nursing support for people affected by cancer. At the same time, CNSA continues to strongly emphasise that high-quality cancer care relies on the entire cancer nursing workforce, across settings, roles and models of care.
Cancer nurses working in acute, community, primary care, regional, and remote settings, in specialist and advanced practice roles, are all essential to delivering safe, coordinated, and person-centred care. We continue to emphasise in our stakeholder discussions that education, navigation, and support services must be understood, accessible, and integrated across the broader workforce.
Advocacy and Engagement to Inform the Program
CNSA has had productive discussions with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing about the implementation of the ACNNP. We continue to reinforce the need to ensure ALL cancer nurses are engaged to understand how the Program operates and will integrate into the health system, including:
- Referral pathways into specialist navigation and support services
- How different Program elements interact with existing cancer nursing roles
- How the Program complements and supports cancer nursing care
With over 8,200 cancer nurses working across Australia, awareness and understanding across the workforce is critical to ensure the Program delivers meaningful, integrated support for people affected by cancer.
Information Session: McGrath All-Cancer Model of Care
As part of our commitment to information sharing, CNSA will be hosting a collaborative session with the McGrath Foundation on their newly developed All-Cancer Model of Care on Tuesday, 24th February (see here). This will provide practical information about the model and how it will support the delivery of high-quality supportive cancer nursing care for any type of cancer.
Delivered by Kerry Patford, Chief Nurse of the McGrath Foundation, who has decades of cancer nursing experience, particularly in regional and rural areas - from a nurse to a nurse.
Congress Spotlight: Navigation From a Nursing Perspective
At our upcoming Congress, Cancer Council Australia will provide an update on the National Cancer Navigation Service Project - a key component of the ACNNP. This will be an opportunity to hear how the project aims to improve consistency, equity, and access to navigation nationally; along with insights into how the service will function, and what this means for cancer nurses across different practice settings.
Delivered by Danielle Spence, Head of Division Strategy and Support, Cancer Council Victoria, who brings a unique perspective founded on her experience in oncology nursing - from a nurse to a nurse.
Your Chance to Inform the Program National Evaluation
Finally, we strongly encourage members to engage with the independent evaluation of the ACNNP and the Cancer Patient Support Program.
This evaluation is seeking input from the broader cancer care workforce, specifically nurses not involved in Program-funded roles. Your feedback is essential to inform:
- Future investment decisions
- Awareness and integration efforts
- How well the Program is understood and integrated across the workforce
Even if you have limited knowledge of the ACNNP or its services, that feedback is just as valuable. Understanding gaps in awareness is critical to improving how the Program is promoted and embedded within cancer care.
We encourage all members to complete the survey and share your perspectives.
This will help CNSA continue to advocate for a cancer care system that recognises the role of specialist cancer nurses in supporting people affected by cancer.
I look forward to seeing all of you at Congress - with registrations opening next week and the draft program now available, we are setting up for a fantastic three days in Perth.
Kind regards,
Anne Mellon,
CNSA President