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Niranjala Siriwardena: Why I’m Fighting for Australia’s First Workplace Cancer Survivorship Policy

Niranjala Siriwardena/LinkedIn

Aug 18, 2025, 20:57

Niranjala Siriwardena: Why I’m Fighting for Australia’s First Workplace Cancer Survivorship Policy

Niranjala Siriwardena, Cancer Survivor and Former Manager at PwC Australia, shared a post on LinkedIn by Raghav Murali Ganesh, Radiation Oncologist at Royal North Shore Hospital and Co-Founder and CEO of Osara Health, adding:

“Why I’m Fighting for Australia’s First Workplace Cancer Survivorship Policy

Doctor Raghav Murali Ganesh highlights a truth we can’t ignore:

Cancer is already a workplace reality.
Younger employees are increasingly impacted.
Survivors need trust, inclusion, and systemic support.

This is exactly why I am leading the fight for Australia’s first Workplace Cancer Survivorship Policy.

Survivors should not face silence, stigma, or exclusion at work. Workplaces must evolve from compliance to compassion, from reaction to reform.

The global movement shows us one thing: the time for action is now. Australia must lead with policy that protects dignity, equity, and the future of work.”

Quoting Raghav Murali Ganesh’s post:

“Living and Working with Cancer is a New Reality for Employees.

Last week, I was grateful to have been invited to speak alongside Kelly Dieppa Qazi Dieppa from MetLife presenting this important topic at the DMEC conference in Washington DC.

The talk was to some of the largest US employers in the country and highlighting the impact this will have on our workplaces.

Few takeaways from our discussion:

Globally, we are seeing a mega trend of increased cancer incidence in successively younger generations.
We are going to have younger colleagues in our workplaces who have been impacted by cancer.
The etiology of this is multi factorial and likely involves diet, sedentary lifestyle, altered gut microbiome (eg antibiotic etc)
Trust, therefore is an important sentiment to cultivate amongst our employees. This allows for better disclosure, support and ultimately improved workforce management.

I was grateful to be provided the opportunity to speak to a topic that resonates so closely with my professional and academic interest.”

Niranjala Siriwardena: Why I’m Fighting for Australia’s First Workplace Cancer Survivorship Policy