To estimate the lives saved because of cancer control measures implemented in Australia, since age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) have been available. Secondary data analysis using publicly available data. We estimated ASMRs using the (unadjusted) age-specific rates and the corresponding population counts. We also estimated the expected number of cancer deaths, the number of avoided cancer deaths and standardised mortality ratios (SMR). The overall ASMR for females peaked in 1985 at 116.50 per 100,000 (95% CI: 114.40, 118.60) and declined to 81.36 (95% CI: 80.24, 82.48) in 2018. For males, the overall ASMR peaked at 188.27 per 100,000 in 1987 (95% CI: 185.38, 191.16), declining to 116.08 per 100,000 (95% CI: 114.67, 117.48) in 2018. We estimated that 66,733 and 164,358 cancer deaths have been avoided for females and males, respectively. This corresponds to an 11% (SMR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.89, 0.89) and 20% (SMR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.80) reduction in overall cancer mortality. When considering overall cancer rates, over 230,000 cancer-related deaths have been avoided in Australia since 1950. These estimates demonstrate the value of sustained cancer control investment, particularly in primary and secondary prevention.