THREE Canberra men have cycled from Sydney to Parliament House with a petition calling for better bowel cancer screening.

Canberra residents Owain Tilley, Ewan Mackenzie and James Jordan were part of a team of six cyclists who delivered the petition which includes 5000 signatures and calls for a fully funded National Bowel Cancer Screening program and a government-funded public awareness campaign about the importance of bowel cancer screening.

The petition was accepted by Shadow Minister for Health and Aging Peter Dutton MP.

Bowel Cancer Australian CEO Julien Wiggins said he hoped the level of community support evidenced by the petition would help influence the Federal Government to implement a complete NBCSP.

“Bowel cancer is a largely preventable disease. Pre-cancerous polyps can be detected and removed before they develop into bowel cancer and early bowel cancers can be successfully treated in 90 per cent of cases,” he said.

“The Federal Government knows this. We know this. Trying to save money by offering an inadequate screening program is a false economy as more people will be forced to battle more advanced disease and more lives are inevitably lost.”

For more information on Bowel Cancer Australia, visit www.bowelcanceraustralia.org