The Cancer Council has flagged its election priority issues in a document presented to Bega MP Andrew Constance this week.
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As part of the pre-election campaign, Saving Life 2019, Bega Valley volunteers are calling on the next NSW government to take action to reduce the impact of cancer in the community.
The campaign document focuses on three key areas where Cancer Council believes the NSW government can have a big impact. These include protecting the community from tobacco, tackling childhood obesity, and supporting people with lymphoedema.
“We have achieved so much to reduce cancer rates but there is much more we need to do,” community advocate Debra Summer said.
“We’re campaigning to address issues that will help create a cancer free future.”
The key policy proposals outlined in the document include:
- Strengthen the Smoke-free Environment Act 2000 to ensure that people working or socialising in bars and clubs in NSW are protected from second-hand smoke.
- Amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008 to ban tobacco vending machines and introduce an annual licence fee to encourage retailers to stop selling. These measures will reduce the risk of young people developing this fatal habit and support smokers to quit.
- Remove junk food advertising from state-owned property to reduce children’s exposure; and support national regulations on food marketing to children.
- Provide funding for public lymphoedema services across NSW to ensure that people with lymphoedema have timely access to evidence-based care, regardless of where they live.
Grant Plecas, community lead at Cancer Council’s southern region office said “every day in NSW, more than 120 people hear the words ‘you’ve got cancer’, and too many families lose someone they love”.
“The next NSW government has the power to reduce the number of people who will get cancer and ensure that people who experience cancer get the support they need,” Mr Plecas said.
To view more of the Saving Life 2019 campaign, visit canact.com.au.