E&OE....................................................................................................
Well thank you very much for those words of welcome and it is nice
to be back. And I've come here today to announce that the Federal
Government will provide financial support for the activities of the
Integrated Cancer Programme which of course is a joint activity of
the Centenary Institute and the Cancer Centre. There is no audience
in Australia better aware of the fact that cancer leaves virtually
no family in our nation unaffected. And although medical advances
have contributed immeasurably to the relief of suffering from cancer
and the longevity of life of people affected by cancer, much more
needs to be done. And in recognition of that, successive federal governments
of both political persuasions have given assistance to a variety of
programmes.
The National Cancer Control Initiative was announced by the present
Government in the last budget. We've provided new funding for
prostate and other cancers, continuing funding of the National Breast
Cancer Centre, and the National Screening Programme for breast and
cervical cancer. And through the National Health and Medical Research
Council we provide $23 million in the current year for cancer research.
But I want to announce today that the Commonwealth Government will
provide support for a new programme to implement that approach in
Australia. And the programme will undertake laboratory and clinical
research and apply those results through
multi-disciplinary cancer treatment and education. As you know the
proposal for the Integrated Cancer Programme comes from the partnership
between the Sydney Cancer Centre and the Centenary Institute. And
the programme will provide an integrated research and care role for
cancer sufferers and move cancer research in Australia into the next
century.
The partnership between these two groups is well established and well
known. The centre was established in January 1996 at the Royal Prince
Alfred, King George V, and Concord Hospitals. And the centre is the
largest cancer treating centre in Australia, admitting in excess of
22,000 cancer patients and treating over 70,000 out-patients every
year.
The institute was established in 1985 to commemorate 100 years of
research and clinical excellence at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and
the University of Sydney Medical School. And the institute was established
to provide both New South Wales and Australia with a research centre
of excellence at the forefront of advances in prevention, diagnosis
and treatment of life threatening diseases including cancer.
The Integrated Cancer Programme has been established as a joint venture
between those two groups to bring together an optimal mix of basic
cancer research, applied laboratory research and clinical research.
And more importantly this mix will allow the rapid introduction of
new cancer research discoveries to be directly applied to the clinical
care of patients fighting cancer. And the sight chosen has close links
with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney, as well
as to population, health, cancer screening, high technology imaging
and the NHMRC Clinical Trials Unit.
The laboratory based cancer research will deliberately focus on existing
areas of research showing the greatest promise for significant advances
in the understanding and the treatment of cancer. And these will include
genetic changes leading to cancer cell growth, a gene therapy programme
to identify abnormal genes, and ways to circumvent cancer cell resistance
to anti-cancer drugs.
There will be close monitoring of the results of new treatments identified
by research. And the Cancer Clinical Trials Programme will develop
and evaluate new cancer therapies on a large scale in partnership
with international cancer organsiations and the pharmaceutical industry.
And this will include world-wide acquisition of the most promising
new anti-cancer products. The injection of federal funding will allow
the Integrated Cancer Programme to continue to develop this approach
and to recruit back to Australia high profile Australian cancer specialists
and researchers currently working overseas.
I'm delighted that in the past year, six world leading Australian
cancer specialists have been successfully recruited to work in the
new Integrated Cancer Programme. And the Commonwealth is providing
initial support to this very worthwhile venture to ensure that cancer
sufferers have access to the best and latest available treatments.
We believe that following this initial Commonwealth investment that
the success of the venture will encourage funding from other funding
agencies and from commercial and international pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies.
Cancer, as I said at the beginning of my remarks, is a disease that
touches just about every Australian family and has a major impact
on sufferers and those close to them. It touches us all and the Integrated
Cancer Programme devised by the institute and the centre seeks to
relieve some of that suffering.
The total cost of this very worthy endeavor is $6 million. The Commonwealth
announces today federal funding of $3 million and I have every reason
to believe that this will be matched by the New South Wales Government
so that the total amount will be made available. Ladies and gentleman,
this is in every sense of the well worn but very apt expression, a
very worthy endeavor.
I have long said that Australia has scientists, medical researchers,
doctors, and others working in the area of preventative health, in
the area of treatment and the area of the relief of suffering which
are not exceeded in ability by people anywhere in the world. The 21st
century will be very much a century in which those who are at the
forefront of research, and most importantly those who are able to
match the results of research immediately with clinical treatment,
will be those who will make the greatest contribution to the relief
of human suffering.
The intellectual capital of Australia is one of its most precious
assets. Sometimes in the past we have not done enough to preserve
it and we have not done enough to fully exploit it and take full advantage
of it, not only for the benefit of our citizens but also for the benefit
of the citizens of the world. I admire the work of people who work
in any field of research. I admire those who work in the medical profession
in Australian and I admire the work of this institute and of this
centre. And I hope the announcement I have made today lays the foundation
for ongoing support both at a State Government and a private sector
level for what is a project that I believe will bring great relief
of suffering and will provide an inspiration to the research efforts
of many Australians and will continue the process of people of great
ability previously enticed overseas, returning to work in their homeland
and to give to Australia the benefits of their great intellectual
and research capacity. Thank you very much.
[Ends]