Medical Research

Mr DAVID BORGER: My question is addressed to the Premier. What is the latest information on the Government's support for life-saving medical research?

Mr MORRIS IEMMA: I thank the member for Granville for his question and commend him for his interest in this area. We can make no greater investment than in the health and welfare of our community. Today I announce that the Government will invest $20 million to establish a new state-of-the-art national research centre in Sydney, the National Institute for Virology. The institute will bring under one roof 300 of the nation's top scientists working on research into HIV-AIDS, hepatitis C and other blood-borne viral diseases. New South Wales researchers are at the forefront of work in HIV treatment, prevention and vaccines. Currently 150 researchers are working around the State as part of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, under the leadership of Professor David Cooper. The work of NCHECR is recognised as world leading amongst the scientific community. This year the centre was awarded a $17.7 million peer-reviewed grant by the National Health and Medical Research Council—one of the largest grants the council has issued.

That is a massive vote of confidence in the researchers who are working in New South Wales. Their work is vital to the global effort to fight this terrible disease. Some 45 million people are living with HIV worldwide and there are 16,000 new infections every single day. The Government's contribution to the new National Institute for Virology is an investment in helping to expand the international role of our State's researchers both in the prevention of HIV and in emerging public health issues, such as the prevention of hepatitis C. To date this work has been focused particularly on exporting research solutions to South-East Asia, especially Thailand and Cambodia. This new purpose-built facility will allow the expansion of researcher numbers and will consolidate the world-class research capacity of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research in HIV research and medicine.

The facility will combine academic and clinical skills to take new knowledge from our laboratories to hospital bedsides and into communities affected by HIV. It will attract high-calibre researchers and provide an environment that nurtures and supports the training of new scientists in HIV research. Of course, this will have great flow-on benefits for patient care in the public health system. HIV rates in New South Wales have remained stable over the past decade, with 404 new notifications of HIV in New South Wales in 2007. This is down slightly from 424 cases in 1997. These figures confirm that New South Wales has avoided the big rises seen in most States in the past decade. But we cannot afford to be complacent as one case is one case too many—hence the Government's contribution to this new national centre. It will be a centre of excellence and it will ensure that New South Wales researchers continue to lead national and international efforts to stem the spread of this terrible disease. I am pleased to report to the House that our commitment has received the support of key university leaders. University of New South Wales Vice-Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer had this to say about the Government's contribution and the project:

This is a far reaching initiative which will have immediate benefits to NSW both in terms of the quality of care and the expansion of an important world class research base In addition, the initiative is also important nationally and internationally in finding more effective ways to combat HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

University of New South Wales Chancellor David Gonski said:

The NSW government should be commended on its far sightedness in making this significant investment in such a crucial area.

This illustrates the significant support for investing and advancing excellence in medical research in New South Wales. Today's announcement is the latest in a major program of strategic investments intended to develop medical research infrastructure in New South Wales. In the past two years the Government has provided $150 million to the capital development of medical research facilities including the Garvan Institute, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, the Children's Cancer Institute Australia, and North Sydney and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.