Victorian Health and Medical Research Strategy: Response to the Discussion Paper

This submission responds to the Victorian Government’s discussion paper on the Victorian Health and Medical Research Strategy, addressing selected questions on translation, health services research, data access and clinical trials. Research Australia identifies Victoria’s strong links between hospitals, universities and medical research institutes as its main translational strength, citing the Monash Partners Academic Health Science Centre, the Melbourne Academic Health Research Centre and the Western Alliance, and recommends continued funding and coordination of these centres. It maintains that activity-based hospital funding gives little incentive to adopt cost-saving innovations, and proposes that the Government identify promising trial results, fund health economics evaluation, assess feasibility and develop implementation plans, alongside support for clinician researchers through research buy-outs and backfilling. On data, it recommends a target date to replace all paper health records in the public system with digital records, support for the Productivity Commission’s call for privacy reform including review of the Victorian Health Records Act, an expanded role for Victorian Data Linkages, and shared data infrastructure. It also suggests Victoria lead clinical trials reform through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and better align clinical registries with trial needs.