Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to make a contribution about a remarkable Tasmanian who, sadly, passed away the weekend before last. The Tasmanian I am talking about is Dr John Morris AO, MBE, who also happens to be the father of one of my closest friends. The Launceston Examiner newspaper, in a tribute to Dr Morris, recently described him as 'Launceston's champion of medical research'. Tasmanians, particularly those from the Launceston district, would know very well why he earned that moniker. Our very own President of the Senate, through his extensive involvement in matters of medical research, particularly in the north-west, knows about Dr Morris's involvement in the Clifford Craig medical research foundation and trust as the founding chairman of the foundation.

The foundation was established in 1992 and since its inception has provided in excess of $4 million of funding to over 100 medical research projects. Read through the list of amazing research achievements of the foundation. It is a testament to Dr Morris's contribution to medical research not just in my own community of Tasmania but nationally. As a Tasmanian, it makes me proud to go through some of the things on that list.

To begin with, there was the breakthrough research to control hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart abnormality that is inherited by one in 500 people and is the cause of sudden death in many young people. There was also the kidney research which is now recognised as world's best practice. The Glaucoma Inheritance Study in Tasmania was voted the world's best eye research at the European Glaucoma Society congress in Paris. Finally, the research into iron deficiency anaemia, or IDA, in pregnant women by Dr Al Khalafallah and Dr Amanda Dennis is being taken up internationally and now forms part of the British guidelines for treatment. These are just a few very brief examples of the work undertaken by this foundation of which Dr Morris was the founding chair—and a proud contribution to medical research from the great state of Tasmania.

I have it on very good authority that Dr Morris was absolutely certain that we could have a first-rate medical research organisation, and it would be feasible to have it in a major regional teaching hospital—that is, outside of one of our capitals, where medical services are often in abundance. With our regionally dispersed population in Tasmania, this was especially critical. Indeed, its regional location has been informative with regard to the types of work the foundation has supported, namely the medical and health issues facing Australians living in regional and remote areas. The establishment of this foundation and the amazing and, indeed, life improving, if not lifesaving work it has undertaken is just one element of the contributions that Dr John Morris made with his life.

Dr Morris fits into that category that so few people do: a real contributor. He was a contributor to the community; someone working for the public good. It was true public service. As I have said, the list of achievements only begins with the Clifford Craig Foundation. In his 70 years of true public service, Dr Morris's work traversed a great variety of areas. At the extremely young age of 20, the then Mr Morris was a demonstrator in zoology at the University of Tasmania. He later served in a number of roles in a number of medical and related bodies in the state and across the country. He served as the president of the Medical Council of Tasmania and as chairman of the National Medicare Benefits Advisory Committee. He was also a visiting physician to the Launceston General Hospital for 40 years. He was the chairman of the Department of Medicine at LGH and chairman of the LGH Historical Committee. Twice he was the chairman of the Royal Australian College of Physicians—not once, but twice. He was also the president of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Medical Association.

In the field of education, again demonstrating his firm commitment to improving the lives of others, he served as the chairman of the Oakburn College Council. He was also the founding chairman of the Scotch Oakburn College Council—