John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like first to congratulate the member for Macarthur for moving this important motion. The electorate of Macarthur is very fortunate to be home to the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, which provides:

… leadership and support for strategically directed research into complementary medicine and translation of evidence into clinical practice.

The NICM was initially developed with $4 million in seed funding from the Howard government and is hosted by the University of Western Sydney at its Campbelltown campus. According to the NICM website, its programs:

… encompass all aspects of the research agenda for complementary medicine, from pure basic research in the laboratory; to clinical trials tailored to address the challenges of testing the efficacy of medicines already in use; to the translation of research evidence into clinical practice and community use.

I have risen many times in this place to applaud the work of our medicines industry. I know of no other sector that is focused on improving the health outcomes of our constituents whilst also representing such a significant contribution to our national economic productivity. In Australia, the medicines industry is the brightest of lights in an otherwise repressed manufacturing sector, with an average of $4 billion in exports each year.

Many innovative medicines manufacturers also maintain a range of vibrant complementary medicine brands. One of the market leaders in this field is Sanofi, headquartered in Macquarie Park in my electorate of Bennelong. Sanofi's portfolio includes market-leading household names such as Nature's Own, Cenovis, Bio Organics, Ostelin, MICROgenics and Golden Glow and it is our nation's largest distributor of nutraceuticals including multivitamins, fish oil and glucosamine. Australians can find these products in more than 8,400 pharmacy, grocery and health food stores across the nation.

As you can see, I am happy to take any opportunity to spruik the significant contributions that companies like Sanofi and so many others make both to my local region by creating thousands of jobs and to our nation's economy. This latter category is due to grow as a direct result of last year's signing of the historic free trade agreement with China. The visit by the President of China, Xi Jinping, and his address to this House represented a watershed in our relations with our largest trading partner. The Prime Minister Tony Abbot, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and the Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb deserve our congratulations for their magnificent work in securing this agreement together with the free trade agreements with Japan and Korea.

During President Xi's visit, he joined our Prime Minister to sign a memorandum of understanding between the University of Western Sydney and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. This partnership will spark the development of a new research led Chinese medicine clinic in Sydney directly contributing to improved patient outcomes and giving our nation the potential to tap into the $170,000 billion global traditional Chinese medicine market.

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine is a world leader in Chinese medicine. Through the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the University of Western Sydney and the electorates of Macarthur, Lindsay and surrounds will benefit greatly as a direct result of this partnership. The MOU and the free trade agreement truly represent the way that this government and the members of Macarthur and Lindsay are delivering for their local communities.

The Bennelong region is the second most populous electorate of Chinese Australians and a quick walk down Eastwood mall will expose hundreds, if not thousands, of drawers filled with Chinese medicines. I was there just yesterday competing in the lunar new year cooking competition—I am too modest to say who won.

We are the only Western country to operate a unified national registration of Chinese medicine practitioners and have a strict regulation of Chinese medicines delivering safe healthcare outcomes to thousands of Australians and a subsequent boost to our export market and economy.

This ever-growing connection between Australia and China economically, diplomatically and culturally is central to our nation's development in the 21st century. This is so ably represented by the MOU, the free trade agreement and this motion brought forward by the member for Macarthur, which I commend to the House.

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