I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
I acknowledge Dame Quentin Bryce, former Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and my parliamentary colleagues.
Director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Professor Kathryn North.
Professor North is an absolute champion for innovation in Australian medical research – and for young people.
I’d also like to extend my thanks MCRI Board and Committee Members, including Co-Chairs Sarah Murdoch and Patrick Houlihan.
And of course, MCRI staff and research associates.
It is such a pleasure to be with you – in a room filled with intelligent, compassionate Australians – to celebrate 40 years of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
40 years of positive and substantial impact.
At a similar event four decades ago, at the launch of what was known then as the Murdoch Institute for Research into Birth Defects – the great Bob Hawke gave a speech.
In doing so, he drew the nation’s attention to the budding ambition of the Institute and its already vital work.
In his words, the Institute’s mission was to “protect future generations of Australian children from suffering.”
It was a worthy vision back in 1986, just as it is now.
And as we come together tonight to survey and celebrate the intervening 40 years of work and success, it is clear that the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has delivered on that primary and essential vision – to protect children from suffering.
It has done that by driving an agenda to improve children’s health outcomes across the breadth of the medical field.
The development of an oral vaccine for rotavirus that can be administered at birth.
Pioneering stem cell and gene therapy research.
Improving our understanding of concussion and its impacts.
Developing cutting edge in-utero diagnoses.
And the vital work of taking Australian research out into our region.
Helping to advance the health of children within our Pacific family.
These are just some accomplishments, drawn from a long list.
But they illustrate why it is no surprise the MCRI has been honoured among the top three child health research centres in the world.
That is an incredible achievement.
But international rankings are only one half of the story.
Because tonight we also see – and celebrate – a very human legacy.
Four decades of young lives changed.
Of children saved.
Of families given new and better chances.
Eight days ago, I saw that difference for myself firsthand.
Visiting the Institute, I met a brilliant boy of sixteen, James. He’s here tonight – and we will have the privilege of hearing from him later.
James lives with a difficult condition – he was born with only half a heart.
Hearing him describe the difference the MCRI has made to him and his family was so powerful.
The visionary impact of its stem cell researchers.
The compassion of its doctors.
Today, James not only has the gift of life – but he is living it to the full.
There are so many stories like James’.
And they all begin with the contribution of two great Australians.
Dame Elisabeth Murdoch and Professor David Danks.
Two people who combined science with philanthropy.
And research with compassion.
Furthering a shared commitment to making a difference.
It was their foresight that transformed a handful of researchers into a world class centre of medical excellence.
And – from the outset – provided it with the confidence and agility, to adapt and evolve and grow, to meet new challenges.
Because the nature of the health risks we face today are not what they were in 1986.
In part, that is because of the work of institutes like the MCRI.
Leaps and bounds in progress mean breakthroughs in treatment and prevention, have reduced the prevalence and severity of some conditions.
But it is also true that in 2026, threats to public health are more complex.
We see that in the MCRI’s investigations into the impact of obesity.
Into the prevalence of severe allergies and chronic genetic diseases in children.
The challenge of mental health in young people, and its insidious connection with the digital world.
These shifting health risks remind us why our public health response needs to be dynamic, evidence based and centred on prevention.
That is something my Government takes seriously.
It is why we legislated a world-leading social media ban for under-16s.
Because we know there can be a corrosive link between young people’s use of social media, and the state of their mental and physical health.
And it’s why in the Budget on Tuesday, my Government committed to increase disbursements from the Medical Research Future Fund to $1 billion by 2030.
Because like the MCRI, we recognise that the gold standard of healthcare is the prevention of future harms.
That’s also why I am so proud that tonight I can announce the Australian Government will commit $5 million to establish a Distinguished Fellow for Prevention and Early Intervention in Child Health, based at the MCRI.
This funding will also support the work of postdoctoral fellows, PhD scholarships and research costs.
It’s about honouring the 40-year legacy of the Institute.
And securing its future as a hub of world leading research.
Aiding its contribution to stopping illness and suffering before it starts.
So the health challenges faced by young Australians don’t grow with them as they grow up.
Just as it did 40 years ago, today Australian medicine leads the world.
And I lead a Government that is proud to be investing in the key pillars of Australia’s health system.
Making Medicare stronger.
Securing the future of the NDIS – including with a new Thriving Kids program, built on the expert advice of the Institute.
We’re training more midwives, more nurses and more doctors.
Because quality, affordable health care is a measure of our national character and a marker of our national values.
That Australian sense of equity, of fairness and dignity.
An ethos I know that is echoed at the MCRI.
Friends, as we look back over the last forty years and ahead to forty more.
It is clear no one in this room could ever say, “my work here is done.”
Like those who built the MCRI, you can only pass on the torch to the next generation.
Because there is always another challenge to grapple with.
Another child in need.
And in that child, a future to secure.
A future for that one young soul.
But also, a healthier and brighter collective future for our nation, and the world.
With one eye down the barrel of the microscope, and the other firmly fixed on the horizon, for forty years the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has been forging that better future.
Each of you can be proud of the legacy you have shaped.
The lives you have saved.
And the promise of what you are yet to achieve over the next four decades, and beyond.