News and updates

While I had worked in policy institutes during my undergraduate studies in Politics and International Relations, I had never had any experience with legal policymaking before or after starting my law degree. The McCabe Centre, as an organisation which addresses precisely the intersection of law and policy, appeared to me as the perfect opportunity to explore this area. In particular, I wanted to learn more about how the McCabe Centre’s relationship to Cancer Council Victoria shaped its role and approach in advocating for systemic change.

The World Cancer Congress was a great opportunity for us to share how some of the biggest opportunities to reduce the burden of cancer lie outside the health system. Organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society (HKACS), our McCabe Centre team had the privilege to chair/present at 10 sessions and rapid fires, on the effective use of law in cancer control.

The report, Counting the Cost of Cancer: Legal and Financial Impacts on Victorians, included surveys and interviews with more than 200 Victorians affected by cancer and found that stronger legal protections and support are needed to ensure people can access workplace rights, financial assistance and support when they need it most.

McCabe Centre’s Director, Hayley Jones, reflects on the 3rd Meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control in the Western Pacific Region, held in Manila from 11-13 August 2026.

The McCabe Centre and Quit were honoured to meet with a 12-strong delegation of government officials from Viet Nam, at VicHealth today, to exchange experiences about tobacco control.

This week, our Regional Manager for Asia, Ma-Anne Rosales-Sto. Domingo, joined the 2026 ASCEND: Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, as a panellist for the roundtable discussion "Experiences in Tobacco Control."

WHO has released the 2026 Global Status Report on Cancer, which predicts that the number of new cancer diagnoses is projected to reach 35 million per year by 2050. One in five will develop cancer. But beyond the data, the power of this report comes from its inclusion of the voices of people living with and beyond cancer.

Aligned with WHO’s World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” the McCabe Centre contributed to a range of initiatives across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific, working with key partners to strengthen tobacco control and protect communities.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day this Sunday, we’re drawing urgent attention to the need for stronger, coordinated regulation of the tobacco industry worldwide.

Our Director, Hayley Jones, attended the IARC@60 conference in Lyon this week, where the new Legal Framework for Cancer Registries Toolkit was officially presented, marking an important step forward in supporting countries to build and strengthen population-based cancer registries.

Yesterday on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer was proud to co-host a side event with UICC on building people-centred cancer systems— and to explore what it will take to better support people living with and beyond cancer, and those who care for them.

The McCabe Centre’s focus on using law as a mechanism to improve outcomes for cancer patients resonated with my own values. I was eager to contribute to meaningful work on legal frameworks that impact access to care and learn more about areas for reform.

As a coalition of health organisations, we highlight Australia’s global success in reducing smoking through strong public health policies—which is now at risk. In 2026, the tobacco industry is reasserting influence, and were granted a private hearing at a Federal Inquiry

In my undergraduate degree, I studied international politics and was drawn to the McCabe Centre’s global approach to using law to prevent and manage these diseases. I was particularly interested in their work in influencing policy and legislative change domestically and overseas.

The world is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.4, a one third reduction in premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by 2030.