Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Children's Tumour Foundation, located in Five Dock, is a true success story for our electorate of Reid. It is an organisation that does incredible work for children living with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumours to form on nerve tissue. The organisation first began in 2010 and has grown from a volunteer based support service into the only national charity in Australia for those impacted by neurofibromatosis. It empowers those living with the disorder with knowledge and support, and invests in promising research and more effective treatments that provide hope for a cure. The hardworking volunteers of the Children's Tumour Foundation received $4,960 through the Morrison government's volunteer grants for an IT equipment upgrade. When we support volunteers we support the work they do to help those who are most vulnerable in our community. I'm also pleased that their support staff have benefited from the JobKeeper program so that, even during the challenges of the coronavirus crisis, staff could continue to provide vital support to the neurofibromatosis community.

The organisation is working very closely with Monash University on a TiNT treatment trial. I'm very pleased that the Morrison government recently contributed $760,000 through the Medical Research Future Fund for this clinical trial. This will be the first ever neurofibromatosis clinical trial partially funded by the Australian government. This clinical trial offers real hope for children who live with neurofibromatosis, which affects one in every 2,500 Australians. The trial will run alongside other trials into childhood brain cancer, which are also receiving funding from the Morrison government.

Ruth Lindsay of the Children's Tumour Foundation told me that the neurofibromatosis community is so excited by the news that they have been shouting it from the rooftops over there in Five Dock. Well, it only seemed fitting that I should share this news here in parliament too. I congratulate the staff and volunteers of the Children's Tumour Foundation for the work that they do with children who suffer from neurofibromatosis, and I look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of the TiNT treatment trial in the future.

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