Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Along with many of my colleagues across the chamber today I'm wearing a blue flower. This signifies support for global motor neurone disease day, Blue Cornflower Day. We know the ravaging and devastating effects of motor neurone disease, and the significance of supporting research in this very important field.

I wanted to take a brief amount of time in the house today to report on an initiative in my own electorate, an exhibition called Magnified: a science art exhibition. It's on from 5 July to 20 July at building 25 at the University of Wollongong, and I'm very much looking forward to being at the opening night to support this initiative. I have met with the two amazing young women, Clare Watson and Rachelle Balez, who are organising this exhibition. It is being done in conjunction with the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, and the School of the Arts, English and Media at the University of Wollongong.

It's a fundraising exhibition and it features 52 amazing images of the work that researchers at IHMRI, at the university and in our own local health district have been doing. I think people can imagine that some of those amazing images you see through a telescope, when you look at the human body and so forth, produce some wonderful artworks. Those images will be available for sale to the public, and the proceeds will go to the motor neurone disease research that's being conducted at IHMRI, in honour of Associate Professor Justin Yerbury, whom I have talked about before.

Colleagues might remember Justin was the subject of an Australian Story report. He became a researcher in this field because so many in his family had been ravaged by this disease. They have lost many, many family members. This prompted Justin to do a whole medical degree and then get into this field of research. He's a world-leading researcher—indeed, he met with Stephen Hawking about his work. And then, tragically, Justin himself was struck down by the disease. Despite the ravage of the disease, he continues to work in this research field. Those two wonderful young women that I met wanted to do something to contribute to his research.

This is a great initiative on global MND day. I wanted to acknowledge their work, encourage locals to get along to that exhibition—even better, put your hand in your pocket and buy an image—and get behind a great initiative.