Niranjala Siriwardena: Australia’s First National Senate Inquiry Into Workplace Cancer Survivorship has been Lodged

Niranjala Siriwardena, Cancer Survivor and Former Manager at PwC Australia, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Australia’s first national Senate inquiry into workplace cancer survivorship has just been lodged.

Every year, around 68,000 working-age Australians are diagnosed with cancer.

Many beat the disease… only to face a second battle they never expected – losing their job, income, super, stability and most importantly dignity.

Not because of cancer itself, but because Australia has no national system for when cancer and work collide.

On 20 November 2025, I formally submitted a request to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for Australia’s first national inquiry into workplace cancer survivorship.

Right now there is:

• no workplace standard
• no national framework
• no dedicated support
• no linked data to track what happens to survivors’ jobs or income

This inquiry is a critical first step to closing that gap.

The Submission Calls for 7 Concrete Solutions

1. End hidden workplace discrimination
   Separate tracking and publication of cancer-related complaints by AHRC and Fair Work.
2. Make justice affordable and accessible
   Funded navigation and support so survivors aren’t priced out of conciliation or court.
3. Give employers clear, cancer-specific guidance and obligations.
   Develop National standards and tools so employers know what reasonable accommodation looks like.
4. Stop the chaos between systems
   Fix hand-offs between cancer services, Centrelink/NDIS, legal aid, workers’ comp and insurers.
5. Measure and prevent the massive economic waste
   Quantify preventable costs and use early-intervention frameworks that save money for everyone.
6. Catch up to the rest of the developed world on data
   Build linked data across cancer registries, Medicare, PBS, Centrelink, ATO and employment records.
7. Create Australia’s first National Workplace Cancer Survivorship Framework
   A coordinated system: policy, standards, employer guidance, survivor support and reporting.

If this inquiry is established and these reforms are implemented, tens of thousands of Australians will keep their dignity, their income, and their place in the workforce.

Please take 3 minutes to read the full submission (attached).
Please share this with anyone in HR, health, law, policy, government or anyone who has been touched by cancer.

No Australian 🇦🇺 should ever have to choose between fighting cancer and fighting for their job.

Thank you for your support.”

Later she added:

“BREAKING: Formal request lodged with the Australian Senate for the nation’s first inquiry into what happens to your job when you get cancer.

On 20 November 2025, after five months of advocacy and research, I formally submitted a request to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for a national inquiry into workplace cancer survivorship.

Why? Because survivors are being cured in hospitals yet abandoned in workplaces.

1. The scale is huge
   • ~68,000 working-age Australians are diagnosed each year
   • Over 1.2 million survivors in Australia, most wanting to work
   • Rising cancer rates in people under 50
2. The second battle is the workplace
   Survivors face quiet discrimination, stalled careers, job loss, little accommodation, and severe financial toxicity. Up to 90 % want to return to work – many can’t.
3. Australia has no visibility
   No national data linking cancer to employment, income, Centrelink, or Medicare.
   Cancer discrimination isn’t even recorded separately by AHRC or Fair Work.
4. The system fails survivors
   Legal protections exist, but:
   • $4k–$20k for conciliation
   • $70k–$150k+ for Federal Court
   • Overwhelmed free services
   • No employer guidance; systems don’t talk to each other
5. The cost is preventable
   Lost income for survivors, high turnover for employers, and avoidable public spending.
6. We’re behind our peers
   Countries like the UK, Sweden and Canada have data linkage, employer standards, and funded navigation. Australia doesn’t.
7. Why a Senate inquiry matters
   It can compel evidence, hold public hearings, force a government response, and finally build the foundation for real reform.

In short:

This inquiry is the most powerful path we have right now to give the ~68,000 Australians diagnosed with cancer each year a fair chance to keep their job, dignity, and financial future after cancer.

I’ve taken the first step by putting this formally before the Senate.

Now I’d love to connect with:

• Cancer organisations and advocates
• Employers and HR leaders
• Policy makers, researchers, and unions
• Survivors who know this reality first-hand

If you’d like to review, support, or collaborate around this work, my inbox is open. This isn’t about one person’s story. It’s about building a workplace survivorship system worthy of the people who fought to stay alive.”

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