John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

For the last 100 years we have been treating diseases the same way: with antibiotics. They are a blunt tool targeting the lowest common denominator in a hit-and-miss way. Terrifyingly, the conditions we are trying to fight are adapting and changing at a pace we are finding difficult to keep up with. Antibiotic resistance could bring about the biggest death rate since the Spanish flu 100 years ago. We need a new response.

Something exciting is happening in the medicine space. The way we look at medicine is changing at a rapid pace. Individualised medicines will change the playing field forever and will be the basis of a medical revolution comparable to the revolution that followed the arrival of penicillin. Lives will be changed, lives will be saved and quality of life will be improved. Precision medicine allows health and disease to be viewed at an increasingly fine-grained resolution, attuned to the complexities of the individual patient, enabling faster diagnosis and personalised treatment options and leading to better targeting of care and information. In time, precision medicine will support new possibilities of disease prevention, saving costs and maximising benefits for our health system.

Australia has the right ingredients for success and the opportunity to be a leader in precision medicine. We have an excellent health system, regarded as one of the world's best—which has already embraced some of the technologies that underline precision medicine—as well as a strong tradition in research, exemplary research talent that is connected internationally, and innovative business capability that can realise precision medicine as an economic growth opportunity.

In recognition of this, the government has made significant investments into precision medicine and its enablers—genomics, data analysis and artificial intelligence. Many of the companies investing in these cutting-edge medicines are based in Macquarie Park in my electorate, which is home to many of the most innovative companies, many of which are pharmaceutical companies with drugs in this space. Janssen has Imbruvica, which targets certain types of cancer. MSD is getting new indications for its immunotherapy treatment, Keytruda, with exciting regularity. Novartis is doing important work in the innovation space around CAR-T treatment.

One of the most exciting things about personalised medicine is the effect it can have on rare conditions. By definition, rare diseases have much smaller patient numbers, which makes them very difficult to treat. Despite this, rare illness affects over two million Australians. The variety and complexity of rare illnesses means those who are diagnosed often face a long and difficult treatment. In many cases, the healthcare system is organised towards treating diseases that affect many people. Individuals with rare illnesses are often, therefore, more likely to go without the same level of support and assistance. This leads to preventable impacts on quality of care and life for these individuals.

With enough awareness and support, we can assist people with rare illnesses and ensure they receive the care and assistance they deserve. Rare Voices of Australia is an organisation committed to raising awareness and funds to fight these rare illnesses. It has been an honour to represent Rare Voices for the last three weeks on my biannual 100-kilometre walk around the electorate, which concluded on Friday afternoon. Rare Voices do incredible work and I've been delighted to support them by raising money and awareness. But the contribution I can make is insignificant compared to the clinical difference that can be made to people and families with these conditions by the innovations in the personalised medicines space.

Personalised and precision medicine offers a huge opportunity for people with rare conditions, and Australians are well positioned to take advantage of this revolution. I would like to thank and congratulate Minister Hunt and the health department for encouraging these innovative medicines and ask that we keep up the pressure to remain at the cutting edge for the sake of all Australians suffering ill health.

Debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:14 to 16:00

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