Thursday, 30 May 2024

Medical research

David DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan) (18:16): (946) I want to draw attention tonight in the chamber to the plight of medical research institutes in our state and the absurd decision to cut funding to medical research in this budget and indeed in the budget before. I know Ms Crozier has already spoken about this, but particularly in the case of Peter Mac, as the one who funded and delivered the whole hospital and did the work to get this in place and have it actually come in on budget and on time. The vision for the VCCC, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, and Peter Mac being combined in a research hub was to bring the two together in a way where research was integrated with the medical treatment work that was going on. This set of cuts over the last two years, very significant cuts cutting deep into the available funding, is actually undermining that vision, undermining the intention of combining the medical research with the treatment facility and the treatment regimes. In a sense this is the worst cut that you could do because it undermines not just the research but actually the quality of treatment that is being provided.

I also make the point very strongly that Victoria’s pre-eminence in medical research is being undermined. Our 13 MRIs – medical research institutes – are world-beating, and their future, the strength of those MRIs, is being undermined by this set of cuts. This is an area where the state does very well not just with philanthropic funding but matching that with the independent medical research institute funding that is provided by the state government and the operating funding but also the specific grant funding from the federal government through the National Health and Medical Research Council nationally. We obviously punch well above our weight; more than 50 per cent of the NHMRC grants are provided to Victorian institutes and hospitals, and that is because of the unique model down here where medical research institutes, our health services and our universities are closely integrated.

What the government has done is pulled a brick out of that wall – a very important brick – and it has weakened the whole structure that has been a very foundational part of Victoria’s success in the health and medical research area for many decades. I would ask that the Minister for Medical Research rethink this, actually sit down and rethink it, because the damage that is being done is profound and it is generational damage. It will undermine Victoria’s position nationally and internationally.