HACSU members from the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) will today hold a 30-minute stop work rally, escalating their fight to protect the future of lifesaving cancer research and treatment in Tasmania.
The action follows a breakdown in talks over the government’s push to slash CTU staffing by 58 per cent, a move workers warn will devastate vital clinical trials that give cancer patients access to therapies that not only deliver potential new cures, but provide dignity, support, and a chance for life.
“Behind every one of these clinical trials is a Tasmanian who has run out of conventional cancer treatment options. We’re talking about someone’s family member, friend, neighbour or work colleague holding on to hope. Cutting these jobs means cutting that hope,” HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore says.
Mr Moore added that protecting these roles is not only about safeguarding jobs but about defending medical research, compassion, and the opportunity for a better future for cancer patients.
“These workers are fighting for every Tasmanian who has sat in a doctor’s office and heard the words ‘there’s nothing more we can do’. They’re fighting to keep hope alive for those living with cancer and making sure they can still access the groundbreaking treatments and research that give them a fighting chance.
“If these cuts go ahead, Tasmania risks becoming a place where medical innovation dies and where patients are told to go elsewhere to survive,” he added.
HACSU is calling on the Rockliff government to immediately scrap its plan to cut staff from the CTU and instead work collaboratively with the professionals who drive this critical research and care.
“This is not the moment to step back from innovation and care, it’s the moment for Jeremy Rockliff to lead with courage and compassion. Tasmania should be a place where we don’t give up on people, where we fight for every day, every discovery, and every life,” Mr Moore says.