Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (18:51): (1774) My adjournment matter is an important matter that I raise for the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. The health technologies and medical research sector was identified by the government in its December 2024 Economic Growth Statement as ‘the beating heart of our economy’, yet the sector’s ongoing viability remains uncertain due to lack of government support. The groundbreaking research that medical research institutes do and the clinical trials undertaken in our hospitals are at risk, as the government’s research budget cuts have resulted in hundreds of job losses.

These research institutes are facing increased funding gaps due to the significant increased costs associated with their work, such as admin, staff costs, IT costs, cybersecurity, data storage and the maintenance of facilities. This has gone largely unnoticed by government. They have not funded it for years. They provided a little bit of money in this year’s budget to cover them over the next two years but not in the foreseeable future, so there remains a huge amount of uncertainty in this operational infrastructure support funding. That OIS funding provides medical research institutes with that support so that they can meet the full costs of doing this important research, which actually saves lives.

In one of the oversights, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre has been excluded from the government’s funding in this year’s budget, which has placed considerable pressure on its ability to conduct the worldwide, life-saving initiatives that it has done so magnificently. I think this is a critical point, and I think it is a terrible look from the government to not include the Peter Mac in this really important area, where other research institutes have needed this funding as well.

The action I seek from the minister is for the government to extend the OIS program to the Peter MacCallum to ensure its ongoing capacity for developing groundbreaking research and ensure greater certainty for the future of Victoria’s international reputation as a leading medical research hub.