From our Golf Day to national advocacy: supporting ovarian cancer research

Earlier this year, the Coopers Foundation was proud to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) as one of the beneficiaries of our 2026 Golf Day, with over $85,000 contributed to support ovarian cancer research.

Georgie Herbet (Executive Director) and Robin Penty (CEO) of OCRF at our 2026 Golf Day.

Now, OCRF is taking its advocacy to a national stage with the launch of Over It!, a major campaign developed in partnership with News Corp Australia calling for significantly greater investment in ovarian cancer research.

Launched on 11 October, Over It! is seeking $21 million in dedicated Australian Government funding each year for the next four years, together with sustained research investment beyond that period. The goal is ambitious but clear: to improve the current five-year ovarian cancer survival rate of just 49 per cent, bringing it closer to survival rates of more than 90 per cent now achieved for cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

Every year, close to 2,000 Australian women and girls are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and more than 1,000 die from the disease. Despite this, ovarian cancer remains comparatively underfunded and under-researched. Over the next decade, around 24,000 Australian women are expected to be diagnosed and, if current survival trends continue, more than 14,000 will lose their lives.

The campaign is calling for investment across areas including better targeted therapies, faster Australian clinical trials, tumour profiling, advanced diagnostics and biomarkers, risk reduction and improved public awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms.

OCRF CEO Robin Penty acknowledged the role supporters have played in helping the organisation build its research and advocacy work, describing Over It! as a pivotal opportunity to put ovarian cancer survival firmly on the national agenda.

The campaign is being delivered entirely pro bono, with News Corp Australia providing national reach across its platforms.

For the Coopers Foundation, it is encouraging to see our Golf Day support forming part of a much broader effort to change outcomes for Australian women and their families. Our contribution to OCRF reflects the Foundation's commitment to supporting medical research and healthcare initiatives that have the potential to deliver meaningful, long-term impact.

Learn more about the Over It! campaign and OCRF's call for greater investment in ovarian cancer research: