EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
S -SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
LAUNCH OF THE MURDOCH INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH INTO BIRTH
DEFECTS MELBOURNE 17 FEBRUARY 1987
Mr Neil Walford
Professor David Danks
Mr Rupert Murdoch
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
About 15 months ago, I had the honour, with the Premier,
John Cain, of opening-the-new-bui-lding-for-the-Walter--and--...
Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. In its 72 years,
that Institute has proven itself a world class medical
research institute.
Alongside the growth of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute,
Melbourne residents have witnessed the growth of two other
major institutes of medical research, the Howard Florey
Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine and the
Baker Medical Research Institute.
Tonight we are celebrating the rise of Victoria's fourth
medical research institute of national and international
significance: the Murdoch Institute for Research into Birth
Defects. The creation of the Murdoch Institute indeed the
flourishing of medical research in-Melbourne-in-general is
the result of the vision, generosity and skills of'many
people: donors, administrators, and scientists alike.
The goal of the Murdoch Institute is described in the words:
" to work towards the day when every child is born healthy
with normal abilities". There could hardly be a higher or
more worthy ambition.-
At this gathering tonight we see some of the people whose
generosity has given the Institute the resources to strive
towards that goal, and some of the people whose research
skills will contribute towards-achieving it.
Tonight we formally launch an Institute which in fact has a
history of high quality research stretching back over
years. Its genesis and growth within the Research Foundation
of the Royal Children's Hospital was made possible through
the generosity of the Victorian public through the Good
Friday appeal, which raised millions of dollars for the
research work.
The achievements of that research group are known
internationally, especially for discoveries about
__ phenylketonuria; about genetic defects in the utilisation of
copper in the body; for the discovery_ of a number of
metabolic diseases; and for the development of methods of
di-agnos-ing-and-t-rea-tf-mnetabo-l-i-e-d-i-sease-s.-ts
__. computerised syndrome diagnostic sys_ temis highly regarded
-and will-. shortly be released internationally, possibly-to
become the world's standard system.
But the transformation of this research group into the
Murdoch Institute opens a vital new chapter in its growth.
The Murdoch family's place is already firmly fixed in
Australian history thanks to the outstanding contributions
made to the Australian community over the decades by
Murdochs including Sir__ KeithMurdoch,. Sir-Walter-Murdoch and-
Rupert Murdoch.
Western Australia's second Uni. ve. rsity bears . the Murdochname.
And now this Institute bears witness to the Murdoch
family's generous contribution to the community. It must be
unique in Australia for the one family to have given its
name to two major institutions a record of which the
family can be proud.
I noticed that some questions have been raised, usually by
those not entirely disinterested, about Rupert's
" Australianness". I had cause to say at a private function
recently, in the presence of many Americans, that the
crucial test of his loyalties was provided by the America's
Cup challenge off Fremantle Rupert barracked for an
Australian victory! I observed parenthetically that this
was one of the very few occasions when Rupert was on the
-losing end of any contest.
Nothing could better demonstrate his commitment to this
country than this extraordinarily generous $ 5 million
contribution by Rupert Murdoch and his family.
By their encouragement and generosity, the Murdoch family,
along with a number of other donors, are targetting a very
complex medical problem which has serious--implications formany
Australian families.
In today's Australia, birth defects are the most important
paediatric health problem. Each year 5,000 Australian
babies are born with birth defects which will kill or cause
long-term disability. Each of these births brings anguish
to the family concerned anger, self-accusation, sadness
and the long-term burden of coping with a child with an
intellectual or physical disability.
The total cost of birth defects to the Australian community
cannot be calculated, because one-cannot put a price on-the
heartache-and-m-oQioal c-_ sat suffered by disabled children
and their families. However, spending by Federal and State
Governments on special services to Australian children
siu f f e-ri ng-i nte-ll-ec-tu-arl--o-r--phy--isa -da-b--l-i-, t-ies-i i--he
_ roder f hundreds-o. f . milii QnS o. f ollars--a--y-e-ar.
For it is to government that families look for help in
coping with problems of this type. Families look to the
health services to tell them what is wrong and why it went
wrong. Families need help in assisting the child to live
with the disability and to maximise its abilities.
Government services provide hospitals and special education
centres and the transport to travel to and from them. They
provide direct financial aid when additional costs are
involved. In extreme-situations,. government agencies are
called upon to provide total care and support. Governments
are also involved in rehabilitating those many people with
disabilities who can learn to take their places in-soc. iety.
But our responsibilities as a community do not end there.
For we must also take the responsibility of endeavouring to
protect future generations of Australian children from
suffering debilitating birth defects.
This is where Murdoch Institute will make its mark, for
research into the causes of birth defects offers the best
hope of early detection and prevention of birth defects.
The truism that today's research becomes tomorrow's medical
practice has already been borne out in numerous examples
such as immunisation against rubella.
Now even genetic diseases are becoming preventable. Early
prenatal tests are now available for over a hundred
different genetic diseases.
New discoveries of molecular genetics are making prenatal
diagnosis available for more and more genetic diseases,
including, in very recent years, thalassaemia, haemophilia,
muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.
The skills and facilities needed for these diagnoses are
specialised, and the tests are not cheap. However, in every
one of these diseases the cost of preventing a single case
is less than one tenth the cost of caring-for a single
patient.
Twenty years ago it would have seemed unbelievable that by
1987 scientists would have isolated the defective genes
responsible for dozens of genetic diseases and would be
using this knowledge for prenatal diagnosis.
Today, the correction of defective genes in the cells of a
patient seems hard to believe, yet some scientists
anticipate such progress_ in the _ next 20. years. __ The . Mu. rdoch
Institute may well play an important role in the advancement
of science towards the goals of.-prevention and. curati-ve
treatment of birth
Located in Australia's largest paediatric hospital, some of
he-4Mu -rdoch -I-n t-te-s--t-a-f-f---ae--i-nvo-l-ved.-in--d-iagaosi-ngenetic
diseases_ andcounsellingfamilies, and in planning
the rationaLdevelopment of services. Others-are--studying
nfundamental aspects 6f biology like the -control 6f-gene
action, the biochemical processes involved in embryonic
development and the role of an essential element like copper
in maintaining normal health.
So, in short, to have the Murdoch Institute working in this
field can only foster further advances, better techniques,
improved health care, and new hope for many families.
It is always remarkable to observe the quality of
Australia's research base, which has produced and is
producing so many figures of world-renown
These research skills cannot however be acquired or applied
by a community without support, including financial support,
from many sources.
It is clear Australia has lagged behind Britain, Canada and
the USA in private sector support of medical research. But
if sport and the arts can become the object of corporate
promotion, so surely should medical research.
The private sector donors to the Murdoch Institute are
leading the way, I hope, towards significant improvements in
level of private support for medical research.
Their support will amount to $ 9.5 million, which is a very
firm foundation indeed for an Australian research institute.
It represents great faith in-the ability of Australian
researchers to compete successfully in the difficult but
fundamentally important task the Institute has set itself.
For its part, the Government is pleased to have played a
role in backing the venture. It was once popular to
criticise low Government allocation of money to medicalresearch
in Australia relative to other Western nations. My
Government has increased this allocation in real terms each
year since it was elected, during difficult years ' which have
seen reductions in research expenditure in many other
countries.
C. Over the years, Government funds have been made available to
medical research through the National Health and Medical
Research Council. Block grants of large sums for repeated
year periods have been awarded by the NH& MRC to the Walter
Eliza Hall Institute, to the Howard Florey Institute and
more recently to the Baker Institute. Now the NH& MRC has
decided to award Block Grants to the Murdoch Institute as
well as to the Garvan Institute in Sydney. -The Government's
support for the Murdoch Institute amounts to $ 3.7 million in
real terms over five years.
So the Institute we launch tonight is a product of a true
spirit of co-operation and collaboration between the private
-and--public -sectors.--I-n-formally launching the -Murdoch----
In. stitute forResearch into Birth Defects, I convey the
Government's -best wishes to the Institute and its future; I
again express my thanks to the Murdoch family and the other
private sector donors for their magnificent gesture; and,
beyond the Institute itself, I commend to other research
areas in Australia this fine and fruitful example of
collaborative effort between the public and private sectors.
I