Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

As the federal member for Adelaide, the health and wellbeing of every constituent remains one of my utmost priorities. A decade ago, a symbol of cutting-edge innovation emerged in my electorate: Adelaide saw the iconic 'cheese grater' opening its doors. It's affectionately known as the cheese grater because of the style and design of the building. What started in December 2009, following a review by Professor John Shine and Mr Alan Young AM, was the proposed development to create a top-notch research institute to boost South Australia's medical research. In response, the federal government's then Health and Hospital Fund gave a $200 million grant to build SAHMRI's headquarters.

The SAHMRI in Adelaide has now become the biggest hub for health and medical research in the Southern Hemisphere, and it's ideally located right next to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and close to all the university—University of Adelaide and UniSA—research centres. Since then, SAHMRI has transformed healthcare innovation, and dedicated itself to pioneering research that transcends boundaries and enriches lives. Recently, I had the pleasure to visit and to meet with the SAHMRI Chair, the Hon. Hieu Van Le, the former governor of South Australia; Associate Professor Peter Psaltis; Executive Director Maria Makrides; and some of the other brilliant SAHMRI team that are there. From our meeting and interaction, it became evident that the institute's impact extends far and wide. This can be attributed to the commitment and hard work of every individual that's involved in SAHMRI. In these remarkable 10 years, SAHMRI has been a leader in the charge towards a healthier tomorrow. From advancing precision cancer medicine, to elevating women and children's health and delving into Aboriginal health equity, SAHMRI has tirelessly worked towards fostering healthier communities. This includes from groundbreaking heart research that redefines treatments through to unlocking the secrets of healthy ageing through innovative testing methods in the development of brain avatars. And it played an instrumental role in guiding health policy during the pandemic.

SAHMRI's commitment goes beyond mere discovery; it's about translating research into solutions. Be it providing relief for millions plagued by all sorts of visceral pain or steering the course towards a cure for leukaemia, SAHMRI's impact resonates globally, offering hope to countless lives and families—not just here in Australia but throughout the world. The institute's work extends to revolutionising aged-care services and pushing the boundaries of radiopharmaceuticals and molecular imaging. The efforts put forth by SAHMRI include the first proton therapy unit, which is a big, big thing in health, and delivering the most advanced cancer treatments available. SAHMRI is a home to hope, innovation and unparalleled progress in health and medical research. This is all happening in my electorate of Adelaide.

Approaching SAHMRI's 10th anniversary, I commend not just their achievements but also the resilience and dedication of the incredible team that makes up SAHMRI. Here's to celebrating a decade of impactful work at SAHMRI and also looking forward to the opportunities that will continue to improve global health, all originating from Adelaide's heart. It's just amazing to go down there and see some of the research and work that's being done. They work very closely, as I said, with South Australia's research institutes: the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia, Flinders University and the Royal Adelaide Hospital, which is located conveniently right next door. That's why this site was picked—it's in the middle of Adelaide's health hub area. What we're seeing now is researchers and scientists from all over the globe coming to work at SAHMRI. We have some magnificent people who are doing cutting-edge research—the most spectacular scientific research that you could think of—including, as I said, everything from leukaemia cures to looking at how we age and how the brain affects aging et cetera. I was very pleased to visit and meet with them. I look forward to working with them for many, many more years and I congratulate them on their 10 years. I'm sure that they will continue doing great work for years to come.

See this speech in context