‘People need this’: Stakeholders plea for commitment to cancer centre funding

Stakeholders have issued an urgent plea to Leichhardt candidates to commit to funding a Cairns cancer centre ahead of the federal election on Saturday.

Stakeholders have issued a final plea calling on Leichhardt candidates to commit to funding a Cairns cancer centre ahead of the federal election on Saturday.

The funding for the Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health (COUCH) Wellness Centre in Manoora stopped in March.

COUCH is asking for $7.5m over five years as they transition to a self-sustaining model.

But so far, candidates for Leichhardt Matt Smith (Labor) and Jeremy Neal (LNP) have not committed to the funding.

“At the moment they’re committing hundreds of millions everywhere, but they can’t commit to a small amount of money for COUCH for five years,” former Cairns councillor Brian Down said.

Mr Down regularly used COUCH with his wife Barb and continues to use the centre after her death.

“(The candidates) need to come and have a look at COUCH, see what it offers … I mean, the people need this,” he said.

Hayley Gillespie, a Cairns-based artist who regularly used the centre when she had cancer, said it was imperative to her recovery.

“I can’t say how much help this gave me,” she said.

“A place like this is what makes Cairns a magical place to live.”

After a stakeholder meeting on March 21, both Labor and the LNP asked to see COUCH’s business plan stipulating how the centre would transition to its new model.

COUCH’s board deputy chair, Vanessa Maruna, said she was “disappointed” neither candidate had communicated with the organisation since receiving the plan.

COUCH Wellness Centre in Manoora. Picture: Supplied

“We’re a small not-for-profit organisation. We spent a lot of time and we also spent some money on engaging consultants … to assist us with providing both political parties with that financial modelling,” Ms Maruna said.

“Then not to have heard anything from them is just really, really disappointing.

“Particularly in circumstances where both of the local candidates have come out and said that they acknowledge we’re a really important part of the Far North Queensland community.

Ms Maruna said while $7.5m was a lot of money it was a “drop in the ocean” compared to other numbers being thrown around in the federal election.

Mr Neal said: “The LNP under Warren Entsch were the original supporting of COUCH opening its doors.”

He said the LNP had received COUCH’s business plan and emphasised the LNP’s commitment to $9.4b towards general practice and mental health.

“With the GP shortage, our recent announcement will create more GPs which was the necessary first step,” Mr Neal said.

Mr Smith was contacted for an updated comment.

In 2019, the Department of Health granted $1.3m to COUCH to buy a block of land in Cairns, which was to be used to build an accommodation centre for cancer patients travelling to Cairns for treatment.

In 2024, COUCH communicated it could not fund the facility at that time, and in February 2025 met with the Department of Health and Department of Social Services Community Grants Hub.

In this meeting, COUCH was informed they might be able to sell the land to deliver an alternative project with a similar purpose.

“As we understand, it, if we were to sell the land, there is no permission at the present point in time to be able to use that money for the ongoing operation of the wellness centre,” Ms Maruna said.

“While we’re committed to delivering some patient and carer accommodation in the future, at the moment our real focus is trying to ensure the long term sustainability of the wellness centre, and they are really two separate issues.”

Originally published as ‘People need this’: Stakeholders plea for commitment to cancer centre funding