Australia’s race to eliminate cervical cancer first: New campaign aims to leave no one behind

In a major push to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035, the government has unveiled its first national cervical screening campaign in over two decades, targeting key populations with a focus on inclusion and empowerment.

With more than 70% of cervical cancer cases found in women who are either under-screened or have never been tested, the campaign stresses the importance of regular screenings. Women aged 25 to 74 who have ever been sexually active are encouraged to get tested every five years.

The $10 million Own It campaign’s core message centres on empowerment and choice, following the introduction of self-collection by the Labor Government in 2022. This innovation allows women to perform their own screening test in the privacy of a local clinic using a swab.

Assistant Health Minister, Ged Kearney MP, emphasised the importance of the campaign in ensuring the nation maintains its leadership in the global fight against cervical cancer.

“Australia has always punched above its weight when it comes to cervical cancer. We’re on track to be the first country in the world to eliminate this deadly disease, but we need to make sure no one is left behind.

“We cannot eliminate cervical cancer without also closing the gap between Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women, who are 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition,” she said.

The campaign is particularly focused on women from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, multicultural, sexually and gender diverse, rural, remote, or disabled communities. It will be promoted through a range of channels, including TV, social media, Spotify, YouTube, community education, and grassroots engagement.

Dr Dawn Casey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of NACCHO, hailed the campaign as a critical step forward in increasing awareness within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“It builds on the successful implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) self-collection already taking place in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations,” commented Dr Casey.

Professor Marion Saville AM, Executive Director of the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer, noted its significance in advancing the goals of the National Elimination Strategy.

“Through the focus on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait, and multicultural communities, this campaign is vital in achieving the aims of the National Elimination Strategy, which identified the need to place a greater focus and more effort to achieve equity of access to culturally safe and inclusive cervical cancer prevention services.

“We’ve already seen a massive change in the past few months in the confidence of healthcare providers to offer the self-collection option,” Professor Saville noted.

Karen Price, Deputy CEO at ACON, praised the campaign’s expansion to a national audience.

“This new and innovative national campaign builds on ACON’s original New South Wales-focused cervical screening campaign which ran in 2023, and was supported by the Cancer Institute NSW. The new national campaign takes the same authentic approach to delivering adapted and tailored messages for a broader national audience,” she said.

Omar Al-Ani, Director of the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative, an initiative of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA), underscored the importance of reaching women from diverse cultures.

“As an organisation that partners with multicultural communities, the Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative knows how important it is for everyone to feel empowered and informed about their health choices.

“The Own It cervical screening campaign is a vital initiative that brings much-needed attention to self-collection as a safe and effective choice for women from all backgrounds,” he stated.

In a bid to further address equity, the government is also co-launching Screen Me!, a complementary initiative aimed at increasing cervical screening among women with disabilities.

Professor Deborah Bateson AM from the Daffodil Centre highlighted the need for greater access in this group.

“We know that people with disability are less likely to access cervical screening than the general population. Australia is on track to be one of the first countries in the world to eliminate cervical cancer by as early as 2035, but we must make sure we leave no one behind – including people with disability,” she emphasised.

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