Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, the coalition is determined to put in place a Medical Research Future Fund. The people in Australia know that. We could not have been clearer in saying how important it was to put in a Medical Research Future Fund. Indeed, let's look to see who it actually took to put in place a Medical Research Future Fund: the coalition government. We did not see that from those opposite while they were in government. We have not seen that from the Greens as a suggestion from them at any point in time. We are the ones who are looking to put it in place, because we know how important it is. We are the ones who understand how important research is. We are the ones who understand that for every dollar we invest in medical research we get a $2.17 return.

So I would say that it is this government that is committed to doing that. It is this government that is ensuring we have a sustainable health system and the research capacity necessary, unlike those opposite, who tried to rip $400 million out of research in 2011. (Time expired)