Fiona Scott (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Medical Research Future Fund Bill 2015. This is a bill that provides opportunity for all Australians. This is a bill that looks to the future health of all Australians and celebrates the inventiveness and ingenuity of Australian researchers.

For too long, regions like Western Sydney have been forgotten; regions like Western Sydney have been underestimated. With this bill for a $20 million medical research fund, along with the infrastructure plan, we will see coming together a Western Sydney innovation corridor stretching from the Hawkesbury agripark to the north-west growth sector to Sydney IQ, which forms part of the medical research health and education precinct in Lindsay, my own electorate. The Sydney IQ park will have 6,000 jobs in health and education and research in this exact region. At the Sydney Science Park in Luddenham that I have spoken about many times in this House, there will be 12,200 jobs and 10,000 research positions. This is a very exciting project. Yes, there will be agribusiness in this facility; but this facility looks at all sorts of health and education projects—computing, engineering, mathematics, geotechnical water and environmental engineering research projects, medicine, medical devices and allied health expertise—and includes an institute for society, culture and economies, a school of social science and psychology, and the urban research centre and related projects. That is just the UWS contribution to the Science Park project by the EJ Cooper Group. Over and above the value of the real estate, they will be investing $2.5 billion to create 12,000 jobs in science, education and medical research. That is exciting news. That is wonderful news.

When we look right across this region, we have Oran Park, the fastest growing city centre in Australia. The University of Sydney Camden Campus also looks at more projects in exactly this space. Then we get down to the integrated health hub. The integrated health hub is in Campbelltown, and I am sure the member for Macarthur will touch on this later.

These projects with the University of Western Sydney, where they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine—together with great universities such Sydney University, and the University of Western Sydney—will start looking at ways of providing the clinical trials for Chinese medicines. This is groundbreaking research that is taking place in Western Sydney and starting to form. Those opposite want to cut it off at the knees. They do not want to see these sorts of things sprout. They do not want to see the infrastructure investment to create jobs and research and to create future industries for our country.

For too long the very future of this country's $1 billion clinical research industry has been put at risk through funding uncertainties, with many programs operating under a year by year funding model. Through the last decade we have seen the number of clinical trials being conducted in Australia fall. In 2013, Professor Brendan Crabb of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes said:

Falling success rates on medical research grants will eventually reach breaking point and start seriously discouraging young researchers from sticking to their career.

In fact, for many working in the research sphere, plan Bs—other jobs—are essential, just in case. To quote Dr Tim Nielson PhD, biochemist and media commentator:

Australian scientists are some truly remarkable individuals. Their tireless work pushes back the frontiers of knowledge daily to eradicate disease and eliminate human suffering worldwide. Every time one quits to become an accountant, we potentially lose a cure for AIDS or cancer.

I am proud to be part of a government that understands these concerns and that is prepared to turn almost a decade of neglect around by giving certainty to this sector. This government is delivering a Medical Research Fund worth $20 billion by 2019-20. This is truly a game changer for our country.

The University of Western Sydney, which is in my electorate of Lindsay, is now ranked in the top 100 universities under 50 years of age. This is a smart, young and innovative institution focused on outcomes and striving for research excellence. It is being awarded internationally for its work. The standard of research from the University of Western Sydney is continuing to lift higher and higher, and it is now higher than the average leading institutions right around the world. It makes sense for other smart global universities, research institutions and organisations to partner with a fine institution like the University of Western Sydney. As a result, the university has now lifted the lid and is looking to the future and the projects they can engage in.

Some of the projects that they have underway today include the work being conducted by Professor Annemarie Hennessy, the Dean of the UWS School of Medicine. She is currently working on groundbreaking research that seeks to understand the basis of dangerously high blood pressure known as pre-eclampsia, which is seen in some pregnant women. Also, work is currently being undertaken at the Ingham Institute by Professor Ian Gosbell, university professor in infectious diseases and microbiology, to develop a means to protect our hospitals from the highly resistant bacteria MRSA, known as the golden staph. Professor Gosbell's research has already shown that this bacteria survives in biofilms on stainless steel surfaces even after extensive cleaning. Destroying these biofilms is the only way to get rid of this dangerous bacteria in hospitals. Then there is the work of Professor Phillipa Hay, a university professor in the mental health space. Professor Hay is currently exploring the mental health issues associated with eating disorders, and evaluating treatments for anorexia and overweight individuals with bulimia or other binge eating disorders. Also, the School of Medicine is currently running a large-scale, multisite clinical trial, led by Professor Jenny Reath, that is seeking to understand and prevent ear disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

This government is focused on the best and brightest Australian medical researchers and for them to remain at the forefront of developing treatments and cures that will improve the lives of all Australians and millions, perhaps billions, of people right around the world. This government wants to provide the sector with clarity and certainty, and encourage people to stay within it. In the words of the University of Western Sydney's vice-chancellor, Professor Barney Glover, 'The Future Fund will enable the University of Western Sydney and our peer institutions to considerably upscale our research capacity and collaborations in health and medically aligned fields of direct benefit to the region and further afield.' The fund will act as a much needed complement to the university's large-scale investments in health and medical teaching and research infrastructure from our Campbelltown and Westmead campuses, with additional research being added to locations like Penrith,' which is in the Lindsay.

This bill sends precisely the right message to investors and the global community. It sends the right message to supporters and participants in medical research, both domestically and internationally. It demonstrates Australia's commitment to being a leading contributor to the clinical area of research and innovation for decades to come. Professor Barney Glover has been a trailblazer in many ways in driving UWS forward. This government is absolutely focused on delivering this bill, in delivering the $20 billion for the medical research fund. This legislation will create the biggest endowment fund of its kind in the world. This fund will help to ensure Australia continues to advance world leading medical research projects, attain first-class researchers and ultimately deliver improved health and medical outcomes for all Australians. This opportunity lies in the hands of this parliament.

This bill will support an initial contribution of $1 billion from the uncommitted balance of the Health and Hospitals Fund, then further savings will see money allocated to build up the capital target level of $20 billion projected for 2019-20. This financial year will see the first $10 million in additional medical research funding distributed. That will reach over $40 million, as estimated, for distribution over the next four years. Most importantly, this funding is in addition to the government's existing budget for direct medical research of around $3.4 billion over the next four years. On the management side, this fund will be managed by the Future Fund Board of Guardians, which has a proven track record in managing investment portfolios on behalf of the government and maximising returns over the long term. For determining grant recipients, the government will separately establish an expert advisory board to provide advice on medical research strategies and priorities to inform how annual distributions from the medical research fund are to be spent.

This is a well thought through policy that delivers and grows on our commitment to the medical research sector. This is a vital investment. It is an investment that is needed today for the medicines that will cure the illnesses of tomorrow. This is not only an investment in the sector; this is an investment in Australia, an investment in future health. It is an investment in our country and in all of humankind. I am proud to stand in support of this bill. I am proud to stand in support of a bill that will help make my part of Australia, my part of Western Sydney, a wonderful vision for well into the future. I am proud to commend the bill to the House.

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