Lung Cancer Screening
- Chiné Burger
- Dec 12, 2025
- 2 min read
Good News: Australia Now Has Free Lung Cancer Screening!
Starting July 2025, there’s a new national program that can detect lung cancer early – before you show symptoms. Early detection has a better outcome.
You may be eligible if you tick these boxes:
You’re aged 50 to 70
You’ve smoked a lot in your life (at least 20 “pack-years” – e.g. 1 pack a day for 20 years, or 2 packs a day for 10 years)
You still smoke or you quit less than 10 years ago
You have no symptoms right now
What happens?
You will need a referral from a GP to a local radiology practice
Your GP will confirm you are eligible and whether it is an appropriate screening tool for you.
If eligible you will be sent for a low-dose CT scan – it takes about 10 minutes
The scan is completely free under the new program – as with other screening programs it is fully funded by Medicare.
Is the radiation safe?
Yes it is!
It uses a super-low dose of radiation (about the same as you’d get naturally from the environment in 6–12 months)
Doctors and experts agree: for people with a smoking history, the huge benefit of catching cancer early far outweighs the tiny radiation risk
Why bother?
Lung cancer is Australia’s biggest cancer killer
Most people only find out when it’s already spread and harder to treat
This scan can spot tiny problems years earlier, when they’re much easier to fix
Studies show it can lower the chance of dying from lung cancer by up to 1 in 4
Next step?
Book an appointment with your GP and simply say: “I’d like to talk about the new lung screening program.”
