Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, as you know, I have a keen interest in research, particularly locally-based research in my electorate of Ryan. I know that the wonderful changes you are making to curriculums in schools will lead many more researchers and students into the area of medical research. We are very fortunate. We have everyone, from Professor Ian Frazer, to the Brain Institute, to the Wesley Research Institute, to the CRCs and CSIRO. I thank you for visiting our nanotechnology department and also Professor Mark Kendall's for the work that he is doing, as well as many of the other research projects.

A lot of our research people reach that crucial time when they need support for their research programs. Not all of them are as fortunate as Dr Kate Schroder, who just benefited from some millions of dollars from Michael J Fox for her Parkinson's research at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience.

Minister, there was a lot of concern earlier this year about funding for NCIS programs. I clearly remember the date of 14 May, when you made that wonderful announcement that you would undertake funding for the next two years, of $150 million a year, for those projects to give them certainty and to assist them with the research.

Whilst I am clearly interested in the health and medical research ones in my electorate, I would be keen if you could elaborate on those and others that have received that funding and what led to that situation where we needed you to come out and restore funding for those particular research institutes and facilities. How are these projects evaluated? And what are the guidelines that my researchers need to consider when they are looking for funding in the future?

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