Cancer remains the leading cause of death and disability in Australia and New Zealand. Our systems perform well by global standards, yet the pressures we face—rising costs, inequity, and sustainability—mirror those confronting the world. Globally, more than 70 percent of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where conflict, displacement, pollution, and climate change fuel a rising tide of disease.
At the same time, global cooperation is under strain. Nationalism, misinformation, and the erosion of trust in science and institutions—from USAID to Gavi to WHO—threaten decades of progress in vaccination, prevention, and cancer control. These trends are accelerated by the inflammatory and ignorant rhetoric of some global leaders, undermining confidence even in vaccines that prevent cancer. Funding has been cut, partnerships weakened, and expertise dismissed to serve short-term political agendas. The popular inclination in such turbulent times is to tear down what feels broken.
This talk explores what it means to lead and collaborate in an age of fragmentation—how we can repair, defend, and re-imagine the partnerships that underpin global health, and that form the foundations of our fight against cancer.
How do we protect what matters, adapt to what’s changing, and build something better in its place? How can we bring our leaders back to the table of cancer control, when all these pressures are leading them to turn away? The answers will shape not only global health, but who we become along the way.