Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health. Will the minister outline to the House how a stronger economy enables the government to deliver record investment in world-leading medical research that will develop life-saving medical breakthroughs and create tens of thousands of jobs?

Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Mackellar, who's been a great advocate for the biomedical sector and the pharmaceutical sector, which have a very significant base within his electorate. One of the things that he has often pointed out is that you can only deliver life-saving medicines, growth in hospital funding, growth in Medicare funding and growth in mental health funding if you have a strong economy, if you have the basis for a stable economy which will deliver better results for those in work and better results so that the government can ensure proper investment.

As part of that, what we have seen is that this government has been able to secure Medicare and hospital funding, mental health funding and funding for the PBS, as we discussed yesterday, with the investment in Spinraza, in comparison with those who came before us, who denied access to fundamental medicines. Last night, we didn't just invest in life-saving medicines; we invested in a new medical industry in Australia. As part of a $6 billion medical research funding package over the coming four years, there was at the heart a $1.3 billion medical and health sector industry growth plan. That included $240 million for new frontier science research and $248 million for rare cancers and rare diseases clinical trials. This will give access to new medicines to those who could never otherwise have had that possibility. But, at the heart of this new hub, this new funding plan, is a $500 million, 10-year national genomics plan. That's about delivering precision medicine to 200,000 Australians and more. It's about giving them access to genetic testing. It's about building the research capability and making Australia a global destination for the new wave of medical treatment and medical research and all of the jobs that come with it.

The two things that we want to create, better health outcomes for over 200,000 Australians and, on the best estimates we have, over 200 new companies and tens of thousands of jobs, come together in this one initiative. The first step we will take as part of this was outlined by the Treasurer today. It will be the creation of Mackenzie's Mission, a $20 million plan to help 10,000 families access preconception genetic testing and screening for conditions such as cystic fibrosis, SMA and fragile X. It means that fewer children are likely to be born with these conditions in the future. That is the outcome of a budget built on a strong economy.