Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd also like to thank and acknowledge the member for Ryan for bringing this very important motion to this chamber. As we all know, the journey to parenthood for many is not as straightforward as many would hope. One in six Australian families face difficulty when trying to start a family, and it can be so challenging on relationships. I know many in this chamber would know people who have been through the challenges of IVF. It's a cycle of hope, followed by failure, followed by hope and, for some, the joy of delivering a new baby.

It can be incredibly challenging on relationships. I know of people who haven't been able to maintain their relationship through the difficulties faced when one or both are infertile, and then dealing with the consequences of the very stressful difficulties of IVF. What I would say is that there is hope for so many couples because of the many fantastic scientific discoveries that have been made around the world with regard to IVF. Many Australians turn to in-vitro fertilisation, more commonly known as IVF, so that they, too, can have the joys of being parents. Australians deserve this experience.

I want to say a few comments about what in-vitro fertilisation is. It's a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm outside of the body in vitro, which is Latin for 'in glass'. The process involves monitoring and stimulating a person's ovulatory process, and that requires medication and careful monitoring. Of course, sometimes I think women can feel that that is a very difficult process to go through. An egg is removed from the ovaries and then fertilised with sperm in a culture medium in a laboratory. Then the fertilised egg undergoes embryo culture for two to six days, is implanted into the uterus and, hopefully, results in a successful pregnancy.

It took years and decades of scientific endeavour to reach what was an incredible discovery of a marvellous technology in July 1978, with Louise Brown being the first child successfully born after her mother received IVF treatment in the UK. Ms Brown was born as a result of natural cycle IVF, where no stimulation is made. The procedure took place in Dr Kershaw's Cottage Hospital, now Dr Kershaw's Hospice, in Royton, Oldham, in England.

Robert G Edwards, the physiologist who co-developed the treatment together with Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2010. Jean Purdy was the embryologist and nurse who was the first to see Brown's embryo divide. It must have been an incredible thing to look through a microscope after hoping for years to see this natural process take place. Unfortunately, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy were not eligible for consideration for the Nobel Prize, as they had died and were not allowed to be awarded this amazing prize posthumously. But it is worth noting. It's an incredible scientific achievement and something that the world should be very grateful for.

I met Robert G Edwards when he was a professor at the University of Cambridge, in the Department of Physiology, where I did my Bachelor of Medical Science degree under the guidance of Professor Abigail Fowden. I did some research in fetal physiology, and I went to the clinic where the IVF procedure was first undertaken. It was a great privilege to meet an extraordinary giant in this area of scientific endeavour.

I'd also like to note that there was some incredible work undertaken here by Carl Wood, who has now passed on but was known to my parents. He went through medical school with my father. I'd also like to note the wonderful work undertaken by Professor Alan Trounson, who I acknowledged in a speech in the House earlier this week. He has been awarded an AO this year for his work in embryo research and fertilisation and, more recently, stem cell research. I note that Robert G Edwards was on the Daily Telegraph's list of 100 greatest living geniuses in 2007. Such was the remarkable feat achieved in the work that he and his team undertook to help those who were having to deal with incredibly difficult times.

Australians deserve to experience the great joy of parenthood, and that's why the Morrison government is making significant investments in helping Australian couples start families using IVF. There's been a significant investment in funding, including in the Medical Research Future Fund grant of $4.6 million for the establishment of the YourIVFSuccess website earlier this year. This website is incredibly important for helping individuals gain access to the success estimator tool. It also provides independent and impartial information for families. I commend the government for its work in this area.

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