Population Screening

Review of the Cancer Reporting Regulations

The Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 generally requires that regulations made in Victoria sunset (expire) ten years after the date on which they are made, unless they are revoked earlier. This ensures that regulations are regularly reviewed and that unnecessary regulations are automatically revoked.

The Department is currently reviewing the Cancer (Reporting) Regulations 2002 (the current regulations) which are due to expire in March 2012. These regulations support a framework for the reporting of cancer cases as required under the Cancer Act 1958 (the Act).

This reporting framework supports:

• details of cancer cases in Victoria being reported to the Cancer Council Victoria (CCV) by hospitals, pathology services and prescribed registers
• maintenance of a register of all reported cases of cancer by the CCV
• the provision of timely and accurate data describing the incidence, prevalence and outcomes of cancer in Victoria to contribute to the prevention, control and treatment of cancer in the population.

The current regulations set out the timing and specific data items to be reported to the Cancer Council of Victoria (CCV), by persons required to report on cancers under the Act.

The review process

In October 2011, the Department consulted with stakeholders in hospitals, pathology services and prescribed registries who report data to the cancer registry, as well as users of the data, both within and external to the department.

This consultation informed the development of draft regulations and a regulatory impact statement (RIS). The RIS:

• is a requirement of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994.
• aims to explain the range of regulatory policy options considered and the likely impact (costs and benefits) of each to facilitate the process of public consultation
• has been independently assessed by the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC) as adequately meeting the requirements of the legislation.

Public consultation

Public comments and submissions were invited on the proposed regulations, in response to information provided in the RIS. The documents related to the consultation are available here:

Download documents

• Cancer (Reporting) Regulations 2012 - Regulatory Impact Statement
• Cancer (Reporting) Regulations - Exposure Draft
• Cancer Reporting Regulations - RIS Submission template
• Cancer Reporting Regulations 2012 - VCEC Final Assessment letter

Six submissions were received by the closing date of 11 January 2012.

Notice of Decision

Following the public consultation, the Department of Health received and assessed submissions to the RIS and developed a Statement of Reasons, which provides an outline of the Department's responses to submissions.

The Statement of Reasons may be downloaded here:

•  Statement of reasons in the final draft of the regulations

or can be requested in hardcopy by emailing Cancerreporting.RIS@health.vic.gov.au or contacting Kate Wilkinson on (03) 9096 0404.

On the basis of the responses to the RIS and the Statement of Reasons, the Minister for Health, the Hon. David Davis MP, has decided that the proposed Cancer (Reporting) Regulations 2012 should be made with one amendment.