Australia is on track to become the first nation to reach the target of eliminating cervical cancer by 2035, however, a decline in vaccination rates and cervical screening could put this in jeopardy. As a result, it is more important than ever for GPs to educate patients on the important role screening and vaccines play in the prevention of cervical cancer.
The 2025 report from the Centre for Research Excellence in Cervical Cancer Control showed that rates of cervical cancer among Australians continue to decrease, with progress being made towards elimination targets amongst most indicators.
In 2021 there were no cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in females under the age of 25 for the first time since data collection began in 1982. The report links this feat to the success of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
A National HPV Vaccination Program for the prevention of HPV infection and related disease using the quadrivalent HPV vaccine was funded and implemented in Australia in 2007, making it the first country to roll out a national HPV program. Initially the vaccine program was only offered to females, until 2013 when the program was extended to also include males. Currently, adolescents who missed the HPV vaccination at ages 12 or 13 can catch up for free to the age of 26.
Though Australia’s HPV vaccine program is a success story with reductions in HPV-related disease directly linked to it, vaccine coverage by the age of 15 has continued to decline in recent years, from its peak of 85.7 per cent in 2020 to 79.5 per cent in 2024. Simultaneously, inequity in HPV vaccine coverage is increasing, particularly for Indigenous adolescents, in very remote and remote areas, and by jurisdiction of residence.
Health and Aged Care Assistant Minister, Rebecca White, stated, “Australia’s early adoption of HPV vaccines for girls and young women and timely switch to cervical screening rather than Pap smears have us well on track to achieve elimination and save more lives.
“But we must continue to improve equitable access to maintain rates of HPV vaccination and make sure everyone has access to cervical screening.”
Australia replaced the Pap smear test with the Cervical Screening Test in 2017 which allows for self-collection and is only required every five years, opposed to two. This switch has improved equity and reached harder to serve populations, particularly in Tasmania and the Northen Territory. However, similarly to HPV vaccination rates, cervical screening participation has declined for the second consecutive year, from 76.5 per cent at the end of 2022, to 75.8 percent in 2023 then 74.2 per cent at the end of 2024. One in four women are now overdue for cervical screening.
To ensure Australia reaches its 2035 target of eliminating cervical cancer, systemic changes to address the decline of HPV vaccination and cervical screening need to be implemented. However, at the individual level, it is paramount that GPs educate patients on the importance of regular cervical screening and HPV vaccinations and encourage the uptake of these preventative measures.
