Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I also present a ministerial statement on the investment in nuclear medicine and treatment, and move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

Today's announcement is very good news for the 550,000 people who require a nuclear medicine procedure in Australia each year. It is also good for the 45 million people across the world who need a nuclear medicine procedure each year. It centres on the manufacture of molybdenum-99 or Mo-99. The investment of $168.8 million in the manufacture of nuclear medicine will secure Australian supplies of Mo-99 into the future.

It is a reality that the complexities of the science mean many of us do not have a full understanding of the drugs that can keep us healthy. This truism is probably best encapsulated by Mo-99—a drug most Australians have never heard of, but which many of us may need or have used at some point during our lives. Mo-99 is the main starter-material in 80 per cent of nuclear medicines used for the diagnosis of heart disease and a wide range of cancers. Its applications include everything from bone oncology to neurology to diagnosing kidney, heart and gastrointestinal problems. It is administered to patients by a nuclear medical community of some 1,500 professionals across some 200 hospitals and radiopharmacies in Australia and New Zealand.

The Open Pool Australian Lightwater or OPAL multipurpose nuclear reactor operated by ANSTO at Lucas Heights is one of only six reactors in the world capable of producing significant amounts of Mo-99. OPAL is one of the safest, most reliable nuclear reactors in the world. While it is a technically difficult process to produce Mo-99, scientists working with OPAL have been able to consistently irradiate the targets needed for Mo-99 production. However, our Mo-99 production plant will reach the end of its useful life in 2017. That is why the government has announced an investment into: a new nuclear medicine manufacturing plant, with capacity to supply Mo-99 to people across Australia and across the world; and a collocated Synroc waste treatment plant, to safely treat the necessary by-products of nuclear medicine manufacture.

The new Synroc facility will be able to convert waste from nuclear medicine production into a form suitable for long-term storage consistent with international best practice. This is a responsible approach to nuclear medicine manufacture with an end-to-end solution for waste treatment. It is another example of how the Australian government is investing in Australian innovation, and it is an excellent example of the great work which is being undertaken by the staff at ANSTO.

Synroc technology is Australian-owned and -developed intellectual property that takes waste and reduces its volume to one per cent of the volume of other waste-management solutions. This means that for every 100 storage containers we might once have needed for waste we will now need only one. Let me be clear that the Synroc facility will not treat foreign waste but that it will function as a demonstration plant to sell Australian innovation overseas. I can also announce that ANSTO will enter into an agreement with like-minded international partners to manufacture Mo-99. This will ensure that there are no gaps in its supply. The agreement will guarantee the timely supply of Mo-99 internationally to cover periods when either reactor is down for servicing. This initiative significantly strengthens our position as an important contributor to global nuclear security and nonproliferation. It should be viewed in the context of Australia's longstanding record of activism and achievements on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, and it reflects Australian support to the commitments made at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.

Let me explain. At the moment most of the Mo-99 in the world is produced by highly enriched uranium reactors. Highly enriched uranium is associated with the production of nuclear weapons. Australia is at the forefront of the global anti-proliferation movement and Australia's OPAL reactor runs on low-enriched uranium. This new investment will mean that Mo-99 will expand Australia's ability to manufacture nuclear medicine using low-enriched uranium. Greater international use of this technology can only contribute to a safer world, better global nuclear security and nonproliferation.

Today's announcement is a win for all. It will place Australia at the forefront of nuclear medical research and the global fight against cancer and heart disease. This initiative will secure our supplies of Molybdenum-99 now and in the future. It should be welcomed by Australian patients, their families and friends because it secures necessary supplies for diagnosis of serious, often life-threatening diseases. It will be welcomed internationally, providing medicine in the face of increasing demand.

I commend this statement to senators and congratulate all those involved with ANSTO's development work in bringing this exciting project to this stage.