Rural Regional Remote Medicare Access Funding Inquiry 2026

In this episode of Nursing Excellence in Cancer Care, CNSA CEO Jemma Still and President Anne Mellon unpack why 2026 is a pivotal year for cancer nursing in Australia. They discuss workforce pressures and burnout, the redevelopment of the Australian Cancer Nursing Framework, national moves toward post‑graduate accreditation, and CNSA’s new cancer nursing education portal.

Cancer Australia has released a new report following the Understanding the Cancer Workforce Workshop, a national consultation that brought together leaders from across the cancer sector, including representatives from CNSA. The workshop explored the growing pressures on the cancer workforce and the changes needed to ensure Australia can continue to deliver high-quality cancer care into the future.

Ashlee Stirling, PhD Candidate (University of Southern Queensland) is one of our 2026 CNSA Research Grant recipients, investigating whether a nurse-led teleoncology model is economically sustainable long-term. Her project will compare health system costs before and after implementation of a teleoncology service supporting rural hospitals to deliver systemic anti-cancer therapies locally, with specialist oversight via telehealth. The goal is clear: build the financial evidence needed to sustain and scale models that keep care closer to home for rural and remote patients.

A group of researchers from Ireland, United Kingdom, and Australia evaluated nurse-doctor substitution in inpatient units and outpatient clinics, analyzing 82 randomized studies involving over 28,000 patients across 20 countries. The review found little to no difference between nurse-led and doctor-led care for critical outcomes, including mortality, quality of life, self-efficacy, and patient safety events.

Recently, CNSA’s Education Manager, Dr Pammie Ellem, travelled to Darwin to represent the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia and support local cancer nurses through targeted professional development.