David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your elevation to the role of speaker. My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister update the House on the government's strong plan to invest in the future of medical research in Australia? Why is future investment in medical research so critical for our nation?

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I join with my friend and colleague the member for Lyne in congratulating you on your outstanding success in the chair. It is reflective, if I may say, of the calibre of the class of 2001—another member of which is in the gallery. Pat Farmer, hello.

As the Treasurer has said, the landmark Medical Research Future Fund Bill has today passed through the Senate with amendment. The government looks forward to the amended bill returning to the House and being passed as soon as possible. This is a milestone step in delivering an additional $1 billion each and every year to medical research in this country. Let us reflect that the MRFF will build up a balance of $20 billion and, with that endowment, will continue in a stable and consistent way to distribute $1 billion a year towards medical research.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McMahon will not interject.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has the opportunity to transform medical research in Australia with this major additional injection of funds. No investment like this has ever been made, and it will lead the world. We know that every dollar we invest in health and medical research returns $2.17.

While we are all very familiar with Australia's track record and we know, for example, the success of the cochlear implant, I want to make the House aware of something recent that has come out of the University of Queensland: the Nanopatch, which is a needle-free vaccine. It does not require refrigeration. It does not require a medical practitioner. It can be dropped, posted or collected anywhere in the world. The Cubans, who are trying to cure polio, have asked us for this patch. I know that, in developing countries, it is going to make a real difference to population health.

Make no mistake: the past, present and future of medical research funding in this country is owned by the Liberal and National parties. It is owned by the Liberal and National parties. In fact, when the Prime Minister was the Minister for Health and Ageing, funding towards medical research quadrupled in the first six years of the Howard government. We know that Labor in 2011 tried to cut $140 million from medical research. We know also that they took about the same amount of money out of the budget in 2013; they were so embarrassed that they backflipped. So the total was actually $400 million that they tried to rip out. Nearly half a billion dollars of funding in medical research that Labor tried to take away in their last term of government—

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not taking a point of order. I am not accepting a point of order on this.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

underscores the fact that we are the party and the government that have delivered innovation in medical research in this country.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Are you asking a question?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not asking a question. I was seeking to make a point of order—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am entitled as a member of this House—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am entitled to make—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Resume your seat and I will address the matter. You will find precedents from previous Speaker Jenkins.

Ms King interjecting—

You are not going to interject. You can look at the precedents of previous Speaker Jenkins, and you will see they related to a number of instances.