Australia’s first Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre opens

Australia’s first Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre opens

5 May 2026

A group of white men and two white women all wearing suits and white shirts, stand around a plaque that signifies the official openning of the Centre

Children and young people with cancer, and their families, now have access to world-leading, integrated, research-led clinical care, with the opening of the Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre (MCCCC).  

The MCCCC is an Australian-first, purpose-built facility that unifies leading clinicians, researchers and educators from Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) and UNSW Sydney, advancing a new era of bedside-to-bench-to-bedside treatment.

It forms part of the $658 million Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage One and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre project, and was officially opened today by Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Michael Holland and Dr Andrew Forrest AO.  

Men in suits walk through the clinical rooms of the MCCCC. The clinical room they're in has lino flooring in different shapes and colours. It also has an empty patient bed and medical equipment in the background.
The MCCCC is a state-of-the-art facility with world-leading clinical spaces.

Dr Richard Mitchell, Kids Cancer Centre Director at SCHN and Co-Director of MCCCC, said the integration of clinical care and research will improve access to new and emerging therapies.

“The best outcomes for children with cancer come from care that looks at the whole journey. From diagnosis and treatment through to surveillance and survivorship,” Dr Mitchell said.

“This facility will provide the highest standard of care for every child and their family.”

A man in a white lab coat walks up glass stairs. He is in the Centre. The building is all glass or beige walls and has low lighting. It shows the modern architecture.
Spaces foster clinical collaboration

 

The MCCCC’s services span Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick’s new building and adjacent UNSW Health Translation Hub, supporting greater collaboration between researchers, clinicians and educators to accelerate treatment discoveries and prompt implementation directly to cancer patients nearby.

The MCCCC includes:  

  • state-of-the-art research laboratories  
  • modern, family centered oncology inpatient units  
  • a new day oncology treatment space  
  • dedicated education, training and research facilities  
  • shared spaces designed to foster staff connection and collaboration.

 

Professor Louis Chesler, Executive Director of CCI and Co-Director of MCCCC, said the facility is intended to become a world leader in its field.

“Here, close collaboration between scientists and doctors will accelerate research discovery and translate into clinical impact quickly and efficiently, ultimately leading to better outcomes for children with cancer,” Professor Chesler said.

“By sharing expertise, data and research with other leading cancer institutions, children and young people worldwide will benefit from its discoveries and innovations.”

Patients and families also benefit from light-filled, private inpatient bedrooms with an ensuite carer bed, additional play and recreational spaces, an outdoor terrace and expanded utilities, including a kitchen and laundry.

The exterior of the MCCC and its connected Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick. The buildings have lights on. The sky looks like its dusk.
The MCCCC’s services span Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick’s new building and adjacent UNSW Health Translation Hub

The MCCCC was delivered as part of the 40+ year partnership between the SCHN’s Kids Cancer Centre and CCI. This partnership has accomplished several successful projects including the national precision medicine program Zero Childhood Cancer (ZERO), which supports more than 1,000 young Australians every year in hospitals across the country.

“In the MCCCC, we’re taking what we’ve learnt through successful teamwork programs like ZERO and multiplying it by ten,” Professor Chesler said.

The NSW and Federal Governments provided financial support for the Centre’s construction, along with substantial philanthropic contributions from Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, Children’s Cancer Institute, UNSW and the Minderoo Foundation, as the naming rights sponsor.