Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am particularly pleased that last night’s budget included $35 million for a building for the Hunter Medical Research Institute. HMRI have already got commitments to the tune of $55 million; therefore, this brings the total to the $90 million which is required to construct a new medical research facility in Newcastle, New South Wales. The achievement of the funding in last night’s budget follows close collaboration of regional Labor members of parliament, including myself, with HMRI chairperson, Bob Kennedy; HMRI director, Professor Maree Gleeson and University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Saunders.

The Hunter Medical Research Institute is a partnership between Hunter New England Health, the University of Newcastle and the local community. The HMRI building will provide researchers with a purpose-built research facility immediately adjacent to the John Hunter Hospital, which is the largest teaching hospital outside a capital city in Australia. HMRI researchers are delivering world-leading clinical research outcomes and, as a result of their continuing success, HMRI researchers have outgrown their current facilities.

The state-of-the-art building which will now be constructed will accommodate over 340 medical researchers in a building of 13,000 square metres. It will provide a specialised research and training facility and allow for innovative biotechnology and commercial research laboratories to be developed. The new purpose-built facility will allow collocation of biomedical researchers with clinical researchers. This will facilitate the effective translation of research into improved health outcomes. The provision of quality research facilities not only attracts the best researchers to an institute but also attracts the best clinicians to the health service. This will help to ensure that the people of the Hunter have access to the best possible health care.

With proximity to the John Hunter Hospital—the region’s major teaching hospital—this project will accelerate the translation of new discoveries to patient care. It will result in improved clinical practice and health outcomes as well as greater local and national health and economic benefits. The new facility, of course, is also an investment in the economy of the Hunter region. The Hunter Valley Research Foundation has estimated that the construction of the new facility will create over 680 jobs and add nearly $180 million to the local economy in the immediate future.

As a world-class medical research centre, the facility also has the potential to expand the local biotechnology industry for the commercialisation of research, further adding to the economy of the region. The HMRI building is ready to be constructed, and the HMRI will be ready to tender for the construction team in October 2009 and ready to commence major construction of the building in January 2010. We welcome the news. (Time expired)