Every year, thousands of Australian men hear the words no family wants to hear: you have cancer. Almost 4,000 Australian men die from prostate cancer each year, yet this Albanese Labor government has decided to withdraw funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia's established specialist nursing service. It is wrong, it is reckless and it must be reversed. During the last sitting, I and the member for Hunter co-chaired the Big Aussie Barbie with the Prostate Cancer Foundation here at Parliament House. Survivors, families and specialist nurses came together to share their experiences, but what was deeply disappointing was the distinct absence of the Labor cabinet. No Prime Minister and no Minister for Health and Ageing. The people responsible for the funding cuts were nowhere to be seen when nurses and patients travelled to Parliament House just looking for answers.

John Burns is a husband, father and prostate cancer survivor in Dawson. He is just 45 years old, and this is what he told me:

I am frightened about what comes next.

I am worried about losing control of my bladder, about potentially wetting myself in public.

I am trying to recover physically and mentally, rebuild my strength and get back to being the husband, father and working man I was before cancer turned my whole world upside down.

This is a real man fighting to reclaim his dignity, his livelihood and his life. Now, while John fights to rebuild that life, Labor is taking away the very support that is helping him. His specialist nurse told him she will not remain beyond July next year because this government is stripping away the funding from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, putting 96 specialist nursing positions in jeopardy. Redirecting funding to the McGrath Foundation offers no guarantee that John will keep the nurse who knows his history and understands his recovery.

These nurses help men navigate the physical, emotional and deeply personal consequences of prostate cancer. John asks: 'Who will be there to help me navigate the next stage of my recovery? Who will be there to provide specialist guidance when I have questions, concerns or complications? Who will help me and my wife understand what comes next?' Where are the answers? The health minister must restore this funding, protect these specialist nurses and give patients and families the certainty they deserve. Men like John have already had one fight: the battle for their lives; they should not have to fight their own government for the care that they need. Cancer patients deserve compassion and certainty. Minister, please restore the PCFA funding.