Why Sydney’s First Proton Therapy Clinic Is Stalling Despite Political Backing

Sue Bleasel says she needs $22 million – and ultimately $50 million – plus a subterranean concrete bunker to install a proton‑therapy machine in Sydney. Without that money and the bunker, the clinic cannot be built.

So far Bleasel has only secured $6 million of the required funding. The only equity she can point to is $115,000 raised in a family‑friends round back in 2011.

The project is linked to the Kurraba Group’s half‑billion‑dollar life‑sciences development, which was granted state‑significant development status in 2024. The plan was marketed as the “jewel in the crown” of the new precinct.

Political support has come from the City of Sydney council, the NSW state government and federal MP Tanya Plibersek. While they publicly endorsed the scheme, none of them evaluated its commercial viability.

Behind the scenes, Kurraba privately explored an alternate plan to install a cheaper cyclotron. A cyclotron can be used for research but does not treat cancer patients, and the developer did not tell Bleasel or the authorities about this change.

Because the funding gap remains and the developer’s hidden shift was not disclosed, construction has not started. The site’s old warehouses are still standing and the promised bunker is yet to be built.

The delay matters because Australian families with children suffering rare cancers must continue to travel overseas for proton therapy. The case shows how undisclosed financial shortfalls and lack of scrutiny can stall even well‑backed health projects.

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