Tag: Commonwealth Government

Strengthening Independent Medical Research Institutes

In October the Commonwealth Minister for Health, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, announced that the Commonwealth Government was undertaking a review of independent Medical Research Institutes (iMRIs) within Australia to ensure that iMRIs can continue to make a strong contribution to the health and medical research sector in Australia.

Research Australia made a submission to the Review, noting the diverse nature of iMRIs and the different reasons why they have evolved their own independent identities. The submission also made a number of proposals in relation to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of MRIs and emphasised the primary responsibility of the governing bodies of MRis for ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.

Strengthening Independent Medical Research Institutes

Pre Budget Submission 2014

Each year the Treasurer invites the Australian community to make submissions in relation to the preparation of the budget for the following financial year. Research Australia’s recommendation are:

  • Maintain the aggregate real value of Commonwealth Government funding for health and medical research across all funding programs.
  • Fund the implementation and monitoring of the McKeon Review recommendations.
  • Increase funding for research to support the effective and rapid translation of new discoveries into practice.
  • Increase funding for health systems research to increase our capacity to analyse and identify best practice for the Australian health care system and to increase research into the most successful, effective and efficient delivery mechanisms and structures for implementing best practice.
  • Expand the mandate of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care to include efficiency as well as safety and quality, and provide incentives for health care providers to nominate existing practices and initiatives to the Commission for adoption as part of the Healthcare Standards.
  • Increase funding for population health and preventive health research to improve the effectiveness of preventive health campaigns and identify emerging trends in the health and disease profile of the Australian population.
  • Retain programs that support Australian research and development (R&D) and innovation, including Commercialisation Australia and the R&D tax incentive.

Pre Budget Submission 2014

Pre Budget Submission 2013

Each year the Treasurer invites the Australian community to make submissions in relation to the preparation of the budget for the following financial year. Research Australia recommended:

  • A real increase in Commonwealth Government funding for health and medical research, to enable continued improvements in the health and wellbeing of all Australians.
  • A specific allocation to fund the implementation and monitoring of the McKeon Review recommendations and the development of a coherent national health and medical research strategy
  • Increased funding for health systems research to increase capacity to analyse and identify best practice for the Australian health care system and to increase research into the most successful, effective and efficient delivery mechanisms and structures for implementing best practice.
  • Increased funding for research to support the effective and rapid translation of new discoveries into practice.
  • Greater funding for population health and preventive health research to improve the effectiveness of preventive health campaigns and identify emerging trends in the health and disease profile of the Australian population.
  • Retention of the R&D tax credit as an important mechanism for supporting the commercialisation of Australian research.

Pre Budget Submission 2013