Fight is On Against Breast Screening Cuts

Ripon residents are encouraged to sign up and pressure the State Government to reverse its cuts to Victoria’s breast screening services.

Member for Ripon, Louise Staley, says there has been an alarming reduction in breast screenings due to ongoing lockdowns, and Andrews Labor Government funding cuts over the past year.

“The Labor Government has cruelly cut funding to Victoria’s Health Protection services, which covers breast screening, in order to patch up their funding blowouts on a range of major projects,” Ms Staley said.

“Health protection funding was cut before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then those cuts were combined with Daniel Andrews’s mismanagement of contact tracing and hotel quarantine, leading to lockdowns. As a result, 49,000 Victorians who would ordinarily be scheduled for breast screening were not able to do so.”

At the recent Public Accounts and Estimates hearings, State Government officials confirmed that top-up funding had only been provided for an additional 20,000 breast screens, meaning a shortfall of 29,000.

“That’s 29,000 Victorian women who may miss out on an early diagnosis and miss receiving life-saving treatment for breast cancer,” said Ms Staley.

“Incompetence in hotel quarantine and contact tracing only compounded this problem, leaving at least 29,000 Victorians exposed.

“No Victorian woman should be subjected to Labor’s funding cuts to women’s health.

“These decisions of the Labor Government put the lives of women at risk. The women of Ripon, and the women of Victoria, deserve much better.

“I call on the Labor Government to immediately reverse these cruel funding cuts.”

The campaign to have 29,000 Victorians sign up and call on the Labor Government to reverse its cuts to breast screening services and women’s health is now open.

Ripon residents can visit WomensHealthVIC.com to lodge their support.