“For me, it’s personal”. Wayne Swan on the fight against our most common cancer

May 13, 2026 — 5:00am

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Australia stands at a crossroads in the fight against prostate cancer. For too long, this disease – the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia – has been met with fragmented efforts, inconsistent awareness and, too often, silence. The establishment of a National Committee for the Elimination of Prostate Cancer offers us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that trajectory.

This is not simply a policy initiative. For me, it is deeply personal.

I have seen the devastating impact of this disease first hand. I watched my father endure what I once described in parliament as “the most agonising death” from aggressive prostate cancer. Years later, I faced my own diagnosis. Like many men, I initially felt a profound sense of fear and powerlessness. But what changed that experience – what gave me and my family the strength to act – was knowledge. Knowledge quite literally saved my life.

And yet, decades on, we are still failing too many Australian men.

Back in 2003, I........

© The Age