Calls grow to lift the curtain on outdated breast cancer screening program

Coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Federal Government is being urged to implement long-overdue reforms to the national BreastScreen program.

New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals that participation in BreastScreen has stagnated for more than 20 years. Despite three decades of investment, the program remains outdated, with reviews failing to keep pace with technological advancements and population growth. Today, it still operates as a one-size-fits-all model for all Australian women.

Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) Director of Policy, Advocacy and Support Services, Vicki Durston, warned that current outcomes fall short of community expectations.

“We need the national screening program to work. Yes, more women are being screened but that’s because there are more women, not because the program is performing better. The proportion screened has barely shifted since the 1990s.

“We are still well short of the 70% benchmark set by our own government, and far behind countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland, where participation exceeds 80%. Australia is falling dangerously behind. The data released today clearly demonstrates that breast cancer is not solved and we still have a long way to go,” Durston explained.

The risk of a woman being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime is 1 in 7, with 58 people every day learning they have the disease.

“While we understand these statistics remain unacceptably high, the burden for individuals, their families, the healthcare system, workplaces, and even our economy can sometimes be overlooked with big announcements of data,” said Karen Price, CEO of Breast Cancer Trials.

The BreastScreen Australia Monitoring Report 2025 shows that in 2023–2024, 1.9 million women aged 50–74 participated in BreastScreen – just 52.0% of the target population. This represents only a marginal increase from 50.0% in 2021–2022, reflecting population growth and post-COVID recovery rather than genuine program improvement. Of particular concern is the persistently low uptake and inequitable access to screening for Indigenous communities, particularly in the Northern Territory.

“Governments are worried about productivity in our economy and the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women means there are over 21,000 per year experiencing the interruptions to their lives, with economic implications,” explained Price.

While more women are surviving the disease, with the five-year survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer now at 92%, Price stressed that this data does not capture the losses.

“While we rightly focus on lengthening life, support for the best quality of life from surviving breast cancer is also vital. Clinical trials research plays a significant role both of these goals,” said Price.

BCNA highlighted gaps in national consistency, pointing to the absence of standardised breast density reporting, unclear pathways to adopt risk-stratified screening, and limited investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to address workforce shortages and enhance early cancer detection.

Durston criticised the delay of the BreastScreen Australia National Policy and Funding Review, originally announced in 2023, now postponed until 2026.

“Screening saves lives but without bold reform, Australia’s breast screening program will remain outdated, fragmented, and well below the benchmark our own government has set. Women and their families deserve better,” she emphasised.

BCNA is calling for urgent action to lift participation to 70% through a national awareness campaign, shift to risk-stratified screening based on individual factors, prioritise innovation with AI and national breast density reporting, ensure equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and end fragmentation with consistent standards and coordinated Commonwealth-led investment.

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