Niranjala Siriwardena: How Australian Workplaces Are Failing Cancer Survivors
Niranjala Siriwardena, Cancer Survivor and Former Manager at PwC Australia, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The Hidden Crisis No One’s Talking About
How Australian Workplaces Are Failing Cancer Survivors
Here’s the biggest misunderstanding about workplace protection:
Most leaders, policymakers, clinicians, and researchers think existing anti-discrimination policies or fair work policies are enough.
But here’s the truth:
Those policies only activate after the damage is done.
That’s not protection.
That’s reaction.
It’s like saying:
‘We’ll build the hospital after the accident happens.’
Cancer survivors shouldn’t have to crash before they’re supported.
46% of working-age Australians diagnosed with cancer are out of the workforce – compared to just 12% of those without health conditions.
And this isn’t just a personal tragedy.
It’s a national economic crisis costing Australia an estimated $2.23 billion in GDP every year when adjusted to 2025 dollars.
We need preventive workplace protections, policies that stop discrimination before it starts, not frameworks that step in when it’s already too late.
Every survivor deserves to return to work with dignity, safety, and inclusion — not trauma, silence, or endless legal battles.
This isn’t just a legal gap.
It’s a leadership gap.
And I won’t stop saying this – loudly and unapologetically – until every cancer survivor can return to work without fear.”
More posts featuring Niranjala Siriwardena.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023