Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am so proud to rise today to talk about medical research and the Turnbull government's commitment to medical research. Recently, I went to Monash Medical Centre, together with the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt. We announced there a further cash injection boost which will support best-practice medical research and clinical trials taking place by Monash Partners, a world-class collaboration of members including Monash Health and Monash University, leading to better patient health outcomes. This injection of health funding is the first of its type in that it is a translational research centre. It is a coming together of university academics and industry and indeed patients. Ultimately, its key objective is better health outcomes for patients. Monash is evolving to become one of the southern hemisphere's leading medical precincts, and I am so proud that Monash is in the heart of Chisholm. For us to contribute funding is to make it better and to allow for more medical trials, and it means better health for patients and better outcomes for the local community. I am delighted to see that the Turnbull government is delivering on genuine support and research that will lead to better patient outcomes, not just for the people of Chisholm but for the people of Australia.

To that point, I would like to also talk about the developing of a promising new treatment for peanut allergy in children. The Turnbull government has announced the first project, where $10 million in funding will go to the biomedical translation fund. The Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, and the minister for innovation and science, Arthur Sinodinos, announced this first investment commitment under the Biomedical Translation Fund, the BTF. The BTF combines $250 million of Commonwealth funding, to be at least matched by private capital, secured by independent licensed fund managers, to realise a substantial $500 million fund. The BTF is designed to change and improve the lives of Australians. This innovative solution will help the lives of many kids around Australia, and importantly it will help the lives of the parents of these children, who have and who suffer from peanut allergy.

The Turnbull government funding commitment is about providing better health outcomes for Australians everywhere, so that Australians can live longer and feel better and be healthier. But for our funding, this research would not be progressing as well as it could be.