Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:26): Last week I attended the official opening of the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery. This is the end product of years of vision, collaboration and determination built on the legacy of the Sisters of Charity and Mary Aikenhead, whose commitment to compassionate care helped shape health care in Victoria. It is fitting that a project with such strong nursing and patient care foundations will now help turn medical discoveries into better treatments and outcomes for patients. What sets the centre apart is its focus on translation. Brenda Shanahan AO, chair of the ACMD – and what a force she has been in getting this project to fruition – said:

The opening of this building is only the beginning. What matters most is what will happen here in the years ahead – the discoveries made, the partnerships formed and the lives changed through innovation and compassionate care.

She was spot-on there and spoke so well on Wednesday night. I also need to recognise former federal health minister Greg Hunt, who also deserves credit. The Commonwealth’s $30 million contribution that he delivered made this project a reality. Less credit to Victoria’s increasingly invisible Minister for Medical Research: for a government that claims to champion medical research, his absence was curious. The contrast is even starker as the medical research sector warns that essential operational infrastructure support remains grossly underfunded in Victoria. There is little point cutting ribbons on world-class facilities if the researchers who fill them are being left to fight for their future. Victoria’s medical research reputation needs Aikenhead. It also needs greater support.