Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek today announced Sydney would have a new centre of excellence to research and treat prostate cancer.
The centre will be Australia's third Prostate Cancer Research Centre, located in the Kinghorn Cancer Centre at the St Vincent's Research Precinct in Darlinghurst, Sydney.
Speaking at the opening of the Kinghorn Cancer Centre, the Prime Minister said the new prostate cancer research facility would bring together both clinical and research expertise in a joint initiative between the prestigious Garvan Institute, St Vincent's & Mater Hospitals, and the St Vincent's Prostate Cancer Centre.
This world-leading centre will be dedicated to improving diagnostic tests, screening tools and treatments for prostate cancer patients.
Ground breaking research will be rapidly translated from bench to bedside, meaning that people will get the best care based on the very latest evidence.
Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan said that prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in Australia, with around 21,000 new cases a year diagnosed.
Mr Swan said prostate cancer takes the lives of too many Australian men every year and that ensuring Australia remained a world leader in prostate cancer research was very important, as is the need to raise awareness amongst men of the need to get tested.
Australia punches above its weight in cancer research. The third Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre will ensure that we continue to do so.
The centre will work closely with the two existing Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centres at Epworth Hospital, Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane.
Together, these three centres will save lives.
Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek said the new centre builds on the Gillard Government's unprecedented investment to reduce the burden of cancer in Australia.
The Gillard Government's has committed $2.5 billion to build a world-class cancer care system to improve the detection and treatment of cancer, and, through the nation-building Health and Hospitals Fund, establish a network of regional cancer centres and accommodation facilities.