Greens table petition supporting medical research

The Greens’ Adam Bandt, Member for Melbourne, has taken up the plight of health and medical research and will table a petition signed by over 12,000 people in support of continued funding of medical research.

“Scientists and researchers make critical contributions to our health, our community and our economy everyday,” said Mr Bandt. “There are more health and medical researchers here in Melbourne than anywhere else in the country and I am proud to have supported this important campaign because discoveries need dollars.”

This comes in the wake of cabinet leaks earlier this year that suggested $400 million would be cut from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in the last federal budget.

Following the leaks the medical research community organised a series of protests in capital cities across Australia to demand that funding to the NHMRC remain uncut.

As it turned out, the government increased funding to the NHMRC in the 2011 budget, although it has announced it will undertake a strategic review of health and medical research funding with a vision to overhauling the current system.

The terms of reference for the review are currently being determined, and it is expected that submissions from the community will be invited later in the year.

In light of this, many researchers, such as Professor Doug Hilton, director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, are still concerned about the future of health and medical research funding in Australia, so they endeavoured to put together this petition.

“It is great to have a petition supporting medical research funding tabled in the Federal Parliament,” said Hilton. “It sends a message to this, and future, governments that Australians value public investment in medical research and is a reminder of the many benefits that medical research brings to the Australian community.”

Mr Bandt will table the petition in parliament on Wednesday 6 July at 7:00pm AEST.