Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that precision medicine, enabled by advances in genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence represents an exciting leap in healthcare that will improve the outcomes of preventative and targeted medicine for countless Australians and their families;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) our world class healthcare system ensures Australia is well placed to lead the world in precision medicine innovations;

(b) Australian researchers, including those at the University of Queensland, are world leaders in their field and their work is at the forefront of precision medicine; and

(c) research in precision medicine stimulates the economy, leads to growth in highly skilled jobs and supports Australia's $185 billion healthcare industry;

(3) welcomes the Government's significant investment in precision medicine research including as part of the recently announced $440 million in National Health and Medical Research Council grants; and

(4) encourages the Government and private enterprise to continue to invest in the genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence research required to grow the precision medicine sector in Australia in order to create jobs, keep Australia at the forefront of medical advances and improve the healthcare outcomes for everyday Australians.

It is a pleasure to move this motion today. It provides me with the opportunity to highlight the tremendous research originating in my electorate of Ryan in the field of precision medicine. Many people may not have yet considered just how integral and revolutionary precision medicine will be to our future health care, but I hope that this motion is an opportunity to reflect on it.

It is clear from talking to the local research practitioners in my electorate of Ryan that precision medicine holds enormous promise—promise for those suffering ill health, promise for those for whom the current treatments are less than effective and promise for people whom we can diagnose and treat early. While medicine and diagnosis are delivered in a personalised way, every person knows, for example, you visit a GP or a specialist and you get assessed based on your individual symptoms, but there's so much more in development to personalise the treatment to individual genetic make-up or disease. Through the utilisation of the human genome sequencing, big data and artificial intelligence, precision medicine allows health and disease to be viewed at an increasingly fine grain resolution, attuned to the complexity of the individual patient, enabling faster diagnosis and personalised treatment options. It's not just the complexities of the individual patient but, in fact, right down to the cellular level, to ensure the right medicine is provided or that the medicine is tailored to a specific patient's DNA.

Imagine a future where treatment options are chosen or designed to target the specific disease causing genetic mutations, identified by the gene sequencing or treatments that are selected according to the patient's genetic makeup or, for infections, the specific strain of virus or bacterium affecting a patient. This might sound like science fiction stuff, but the cutting-edge researchers in my electorate of Ryan are doing just that.

I spoke recently to researchers undertaking significant work at the University of Queensland. They are identifying a range of common diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes and cancer, and using genetic data, which is relatively cost effective to collect, to flag the risks of these diseases. For example, someone whose genetic information and markers tell us that they have a high risk of breast cancer could be encouraged to get mammograms before the age of 50. People whose genetic information shows they're at higher risk of cardiovascular disease could be identified, long before lifestyle factors trigger them, to see a GP. Someone whose genetic data shows that they have a fast metabolism may need a higher dose of drugs as part of their treatment. It's something that wouldn't require the trial and error that it does now.

It would be no surprise to members of this House and to others that Australian researchers and our world class healthcare systems are well placed to pioneer the fields of precision medicine. Already my electorate boasts local resident Ian Frazier—the inventor of the Gardasil vaccine, which is saving lives of women all over the world. But we have a lot of reasons to produce such world-leading breakthroughs. We have the right ingredients for success. We have an excellent healthcare system, regarded as one of the best in the world. We have a strong tradition in research and exemplary research talent that is connected internationally. We have an innovative business community that can realise the potential of precision medicine as an economic growth opportunity. That's why, as the motion points out, the Morrison government is well advanced in supporting and funding precision medicine that will be so important to the future good health of all Australians.

In August earlier this year, Greg Hunt, the Minister for Health, and I, announced further National Health and Medical Research Council investments in the area of precision medicine, including over $14 million for precision medicine over nine grants, $33 million for genomics research across 23 grants, $8.7 million for artificial intelligence research across seven grants, and $3.7 million for fellowships that will build bioinformatics capability, including $1.5 million for Dr Adam Ewing at the University of Queensland, in my electorate of Ryan. He is looking into and exploring the relationship between the changes in DNA and changes in health.

Australia has the opportunity to lead in precision medicine, in terms of integrating it into our everyday clinical practise, pioneering new methods to individualise treatment and providing data sharing, security and storage. Like any opportunity, it can be lost if we do not seize it with both hands. That is why I encourage all members to consider the future of precision medicine for the health and wellbeing of all Australians and encourage them to support this motion—in doing so, ensuring all sides of politics are properly seizing the opportunity. (Time expired)

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion pertaining to technological advances in genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence in health care, and I thank the member for Ryan for bringing these matters to the parliament's attention. I am greatly enthused by the possibility of such advances improving the outcomes of preventative and targeted medicines for many millions of Australians and their families. This is not something of the science fiction future; this is something that is upon us now. My belief is that this is the future of modern medicine.

Unfortunately, the government's botched attempts at developing the My Health Record have significantly impacted our ability to introduce some of these newer technologies and medicines. The government has also put limits on the availability of some of these new treatments in our future medical program because of its very patchwork approach to listing medications on the PBS. The government is very fond of making a big deal about its PBS listings, but the PBS is a program that was developed by the Labor government—the Chifley government in particular—and has bipartisan support. The government is politicising what should be a non-political issue.

I acknowledge the contributions of all our universities in the development of genomics and the treatment of genetic disorders. There are many institutions around the country that have been at the forefront of this work, including the Walter and Eliza Hall institute in Victoria. The Ingham Institute in the electorates of Werriwa and Macarthur has been instrumental, as have other great medical institutes around the country, such as the George Institute. There are too many mention. I believe the government should be congratulated on the National Health and Medical Research Council grants that have recently been announced, but there is much more that we can do.

The government is, for example, limiting treatments for spinal muscular atrophy for people who are over the age of 18 when diagnosed. I've sat in a room and seen patients suffering from type 2 spinal muscular atrophy being told that there's a genetic treatment available for them but that they can't receive it because they're over the age of 18, which is an arbitrary number. There's also the CAR T-cell treatment for advanced lymphoma that has failed to respond to conventional therapy. It can be curative in many instances, yet we know of only about 20 Australians out of 200 or 300 that have been able to access that treatment in the last two years, meaning that about 200 people, for whom that treatment was available, have died. Dupilumab is a new treatment for severe eczema, which can be a very debilitating disorder. That treatment is being denied to Australian patients with severe eczema. It's only available on a compassionate-access basis. It really should be listed by this government.

Our world-class healthcare system has the ability to lead the world in these treatments. I congratulate the government for listing the treatment available for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that can now be treated with life-changing genetic medications, but the government has been very tardy in developing some other treatments. In particular, I'd like to mention the concept of mitochondrial transplant, where the fetuses of people who have mitochondrial disorders can receive the mitochondria from unaffected females, enabling those families to have healthy babies. This has been very long in coming to the fore, and we need to legislate to make that available.

The government is watching waiting times blow out for a number of treatments. Recently I met with Bowel Cancer Australia, which is recommending more frequent screening for bowel cancer. Yet, the waiting times for colonoscopy in my electorate have blown out tremendously. While our treatments are getting better, and we can target specific cancer treatments to specific genetic markers, the government has been very slow in allowing these treatments to be made available to all Australians. According to the government's own figures, about 1.3 million Australians per year skip or delay services due to cost.

Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support this important private member's motion by my good friend and colleague the member for Ryan. All medical professionals drive to maximise the effectiveness of their treatments for patients. Becoming more accurate, precise, proactive and impactful for each individual in our healthcare system has always been the goal of all clinicians, no matter how basic the tools at their disposal.

The development of precision medicine is providing clinicians the chance to take this mission far beyond the reach of generations gone by. I've been privileged to work alongside thousands of medical researchers pushing the boundaries of the genomics revolution for the benefit of all.

Precision medicine is affording us the opportunity to analyse a person's genetic make-up and target treatments based on their specific needs. While medicine has always had predictive and targeted aspects, the development of precision medicine allows health and disease to be viewed at an increasingly fine-grained resolution, attuned to the complexities of both the biology of each individual and the variation among the population. Precision medicine has the capacity to make a real difference in our healthcare system and for all Australians through three distinct avenues. First and foremost, diagnosing and preventing genetic disease has been transformed by the genomics revolution.

Tragically, at least two per cent of all children are affected by a severe developmental or intellectual disability which can result from damage to any one of thousands of genes that encode the proteins we need to function. Genome sequencing can now identify 40 to 60 per cent of genes at the root of such developmental and intellectual disabilities. These advances are giving parents and doctors the answers they need to improve treatment. I'd like to give a shout-out to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, where I've worked for more than 25 years, for the amazing work that they have been doing in this field, where they are leading both nationally and internationally.

Next is cancer diagnosis and treatment. Identification of the distinct genes at the root of different cancer treatments is key to finding a cure. Already the advancements in genetic screening have yielded life-changing findings. Imatinib is a targeted biological therapy that blocks cancer growth through the inhibition of tyrosine kinese and is one such drug that is already improving the lives of many Australians.

This new understanding of oncogenic mechanisms has begun to influence risk assessment, therapeutic strategies and the targeting of drugs and antibodies designed to counter the influence of specific molecular drivers. These will improve the way we anticipate, prevent, diagnose and treat cancers—both urgent and evolving.

Genomically-informed cancer treatments are already yielding spectacular results for patients around the world. That is why the Morrison government's significant investment in precision medicine research, including as part of the recently announced $440 million in the National Health and Medical Research Council grants, is key in ensuring that patients reap the benefits of these developments.

Precision medicine, however, is not solely applicable to the oncology ward. At present, a high proportion of hospital admissions in our healthcare system are due to adverse reactions to prescribed medications. Indeed, many medications currently prescribed around the country may yield little or no results in some patients. This is called pharmacogenomics Such results are due to the unique nature of liver enzymes that each of us have, like a fingerprint in our bodies. It is due to the fact that there's a difference in these liver enzymes that means that we each process and metabolise drugs differently.

At present, and by necessity, prescription medicines are targeted at the average metabolic outcome for a patient. However, imagine a world where each of us could be screened prior to prescription to ensure that the style of medicine and dosage were personally tailored to our genome to ensure the best results for each of our required treatments. This is the future of medicine, and it's not far off.

I'm excited by the prospects of such advancements and encourage the government and private enterprise to continue to invest in the requisite means to keep Australia at the forefront of medical advances and improve the healthcare outcomes for everyday Australians.

Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

) ( ): Unlike the outstanding member for Higgins, I don't have a medical background. My position is from the heart, as much as it is about the substance. The reality is that we know Australia is facing a challenge around an ageing population. One of the great challenges coming with an ageing population is the fullness in which people can live their lives, the medicine that can support them in terms of the assistance and the care they need, and increasingly the challenge that people face in managing multiple conditions at the same time.

Most people will probably look at some of that story and say, 'That is a point of concern.' But, frankly, it's a sign of just how much progress our society has made. It wasn't long ago that so many people died from conditions that were otherwise curable. But through the rollout of science and technology, and research and innovation, we've seen many conditions which were once death sentences now being mere blips in people's lives.

Of course, what we know is that we're only getting stronger. The potential continues for us to be able to cure many conditions or manage chronic conditions so that people can live a full and happy life regardless of who you are and regardless of your circumstances. But we can only support that type of medication, and that type of assistance and support to those who need it, because we are a country that is strong and prosperous. We can fund research innovation and access to medications and medicine that people in many other countries on earth simply will never have the access to because of the cost.

That's driven by an innovative model, but it's also driven by our economic base. That's why simple measures that are economic are human. Getting the budget back in the black, making sure that we have a surplus and making sure we live within our means aren't about dollars and cents. It's about making sure that we can fund the medicines that people need.

What we know is that we're also on the cusp of great new innovations in precision medicine—with research, development and commercialisation—where we can practise medicine and deliver health care with the potential to revolutionise medication the way that penicillin did many years prior. That's the exciting moment that we sit on right now.

The Australian Council of Learned Academies' report The future of precision medicine in Australia highlights how precision medicine will create new care paradigms and shift our health system from one of crisis management to the reality of a genuine health management. In time precision medicine will support new possibilities of disease prevention, saving costs and maximising the benefits to our health system.

But why waste time talking about our health system, when the real beneficiaries and the real strength and the real success of precision medicine are not what it does to a system; it's what it does to Australians and the potential for them to be able to live out the fullness of their lives. It's not just that it has enormous potential for those people who need help but also potential in terms of growth in industries and sectors where Australia can lead the world.

In August 2019, we had the minister announce a total of $3.7 million for fellowships that will build bioinformatics capacity and capability, including just over $1.5 million to Dr Adam Ewing from the University of Queensland to explore the relationship between changes in DNA and changes in health. That investment sits across the huge investment that this government has made across the board in precision medicine and through bodies like the Medicine Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Research into precision medicine does provide a human benefit. But of course it creates an economic opportunity of highly skilled jobs and support for those people in our healthcare sector. Those people who are going through university today and studying health care, medicine and pharmaceuticals can see the pathway to where they can do their research, their science, based on their qualifications, and the job opportunities at the end of it. It creates an opportunity for us as a country to be a world leader so that we can export our services, our health and medical services, and our research base to the world.

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the last 100 years we have been treating diseases the same way: with antibiotics. They are a blunt tool targeting the lowest common denominator in a hit-and-miss way. Terrifyingly, the conditions we are trying to fight are adapting and changing at a pace we are finding difficult to keep up with. Antibiotic resistance could bring about the biggest death rate since the Spanish flu 100 years ago. We need a new response.

Something exciting is happening in the medicine space. The way we look at medicine is changing at a rapid pace. Individualised medicines will change the playing field forever and will be the basis of a medical revolution comparable to the revolution that followed the arrival of penicillin. Lives will be changed, lives will be saved and quality of life will be improved. Precision medicine allows health and disease to be viewed at an increasingly fine-grained resolution, attuned to the complexities of the individual patient, enabling faster diagnosis and personalised treatment options and leading to better targeting of care and information. In time, precision medicine will support new possibilities of disease prevention, saving costs and maximising benefits for our health system.

Australia has the right ingredients for success and the opportunity to be a leader in precision medicine. We have an excellent health system, regarded as one of the world's best—which has already embraced some of the technologies that underline precision medicine—as well as a strong tradition in research, exemplary research talent that is connected internationally, and innovative business capability that can realise precision medicine as an economic growth opportunity.

In recognition of this, the government has made significant investments into precision medicine and its enablers—genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence. Many of the companies investing in these cutting-edge medicines are based in Macquarie Park in my electorate, which is home to many of the most innovative companies, many of which are pharmaceutical companies with drugs in this space. Janssen has Imbruvica, which targets certain types of cancer. MSD is getting new indications for its immunotherapy treatment, Keytruda, with exciting regularity. Novartis is doing important work in the innovation space around CAR-T treatment.

One of the most exciting things about personalised medicine is the effect it can have on rare conditions. By definition, rare diseases have much smaller patient numbers, which makes them very difficult to treat. Despite this, rare illness affects over two million Australians. The variety and complexity of rare illnesses means those who are diagnosed often face a long and difficult treatment. In many cases, the healthcare system is organised towards treating diseases that affect many people. Individuals with rare illnesses are often, therefore, more likely to go without the same level of support and assistance. This leads to preventable impacts on quality of care and life for these individuals.

With enough awareness and support, we can assist people with rare illnesses and ensure they receive the care and assistance they deserve. Rare Voices of Australia is an organisation committed to raising awareness and funds to fight these rare illnesses. It has been an honour to represent Rare Voices for the last three weeks on my biannual 100-kilometre walk around the electorate, which concluded on Friday afternoon. Rare Voices do incredible work and I've been delighted to support them by raising money and awareness. But the contribution I can make is insignificant compared to the clinical difference that can be made to people and families with these conditions by the innovations in the personalised medicines space.

Personalised and precision medicine offers a huge opportunity for people with rare conditions, and Australians are well positioned to take advantage of this revolution. I would like to thank and congratulate Minister Hunt and the health department for encouraging these innovative medicines and ask that we keep up the pressure to remain at the cutting edge for the sake of all Australians suffering ill health.

Debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:14 to 16:00