Bowel cancer screening must be a budget priority

As Australia awaits the results of an extremely close election, Cancer Council continues to call for a fully implemented National Bowel Cancer Screening Program - a move that would save 30 lives per week.

More than 20,000 emails have been sent to MPs by concerned constituents from all over Australia since the Get Behind Bowel Screening campaign launched in June 2009. Cancer Council wishes to thank everyone who has taken the time to email their MP and for demonstrating how many Australians care deeply about this issue.

Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister of Australia has a responsibility to speed up expansion of this program so all Australians 50 and over have the right to screen for our second biggest cancer killer.

Cancer Council is calling on the next Australian Government to make a firm commitment in the first budget to make regular bowel cancer screening free for all Australians 50 and over.