Max Chester, Author at RESEARCH AUSTRALIA

Submission to the Select Committee on Productivity in Australia

As the national peak body for the health and medical research and innovation sector, Research Australia continues to be highly engaged with the national productivity agenda. Over the past year, Research Australia has responded to multiple public consultations, including the Productivity Commission’s Five Pillars of Productivity Inquiries, attended invitation-only Roundtables, and utilised our policy and advocacy platforms to consistently highlight the fundamental role health and medical research and innovation is, as an essential and crosscutting enabler of productivity.

It is well established that every $1 invested in health and medical research yields close to $4 to the Australian economy, making public expenditure in the sector budget positive, economically generative and a multiplier of productivity. Investment in health and medical research and innovation is productivity reform – it grows the workforce, drives efficiencies in the health system and reduces costs, and builds high-value industries.

Read our full submission to the Select Committee here.

Pre-Budget Submission 2026-2027

Research Australia is calling on the Commonwealth Government to use the upcoming Federal Budget to drive the health and investment our country deserves. It’s time for the budget to commit to the critical strategic investments needed for the future health and wealth of our nation.

In 2025 we developed the National Health and Medical Research Strategy and undertook the Strategic Examination of R&D. In 2026, the Commonwealth Government must act boldly and decisively to reimagine the role of public investment in health and medical research and innovation as a catalyst to deliver long-term and equitable social, economic and productivity dividends. We should not waste any more time!

The first priority is to release all available MRFF funds that are sitting idle while Australia’s health and medical research and innovation sector face growing pressures. This is not new spending; this is about ensuring long-term sustainability and smarter investment across our sector.

You can read Research Australia’s 2026-27 Pre-Budget Submission, which outlines further policy proposals, here.

Research and Innovation Are Our Lifeblood and Our Future – It’s Time for Government to Properly Resource Our Health and Medical Research Sector

The rising chronic disease burden, ongoing inequities in access to healthcare and health outcomes, and lack of economic diversification are but a few of the key challenges which threaten fiscal sustainability, productivity and the entrenchment of disadvantage across generations.

By investing in health and medical research, government can improve health outcomes today while building the productive capacity and economic resilience Australia needs for the future”, said Nadia Levin, CEO of Research Australia.

“Since identifying the funds in 2023, we’ve been working with government to ensure these funds are utilised including in investing in our early and mid-career researchers for sustainable impact in our sector and developing a new research active healthcare mission in the MRFF to better support the translation of research”.

You can read Research Australia’s 2026-27 Pre-Budget Submission, which outlines further policy proposals, here.

Response to the Senate Inquiry into Funding and Resourcing for the CSIRO

Research Australia is deeply concerned by the recent announcements of further job and program cuts to the CSIRO. The termination of 300-350 full-time roles at the CSIRO represents a 6% decrease in the current workforce, in addition to the 818 pre-existing job cuts made in the past 18 months.

As a critical organisation within the health and medical research and innovation system, investments in the CSIRO should not be viewed as discretionary spending, but as strategic public investment towards achieving a future-ready, prosperous and thriving Australia. Now is the time for government to position public investment in health and medical research and innovation as a catalyst to delivering long-term and equitable social, economic and productivity dividends – not overseeing the decline of our national research capabilities.

Read our submission here.

Advancing Health and Medical Research and Innovation Across Regional, Rural, Remote and Very Remote Communities in Australia

Nearly 30% of Australians live in regional, rural, remote or very remote (RRRvR) communities, yet the funding for rural health and medical research is not comparable. RRRvR research, researchers, and research institutions excel in connectivity and co-design, establishing research priorities led by local needs and impactful service delivery models. Infrastructure such as regional universities, rural health departments and research institutes are essential to local communities – contributing to both healthier communities and a healthier local economies.

Despite the strengths communities face unique health challenges, including funding inequities, workforce gaps and research infrastructure gaps. Our paper, developed with input from Research Australia’s membership identifies key priority areas for enhancing the importance of dedicated RRRvR research. By undertaking these systemic reforms and incorporating the recommendations into the National Health and Medical Research Strategy, we can elevate the strengths of regional, rural, remote and very remote communities, not only for equity but for the health of the nation.

Read the full report and our key recommendations here.

Response to Australia’s Possible Association to Horizon Europe

Research Australia has consistently called on the Australian Government to formally sign up to Horizon Europe to unlock new opportunities for Australia’s researchers and innovators and secure our nation’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. We therefore welcome the commencement of non-binding exploratory talks with the European Union on possible association to Horizon Europe under Pillar II, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.

The European Union’s $170 billion (€95.5 billion) research program is a highly pertinent opportunity for the Australian health and medical research and innovation sector – supporting international collaboration across several key areas, including health, climate change and digital transformation. Research Australia is of the view that Australia’s association to the scheme will provide a further platform for strategic and operational impact alongside other critical reforms currently in their finalisation – particularly the National Health and Medical Research Strategy (National Strategy), Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) and 2026 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap.

Read Research Australia’s full submission here.

Response to the Draft National Health and Medical Research Strategy 2026-2036

Research Australia, as the national alliance and peak of health and medical research and innovation, is pleased to have the opportunity to make a submission on behalf of our members and the broader sector in response to the National Health and Medical Research Strategy.

The Strategy presents a timely and unique opportunity to reform and reimagine the entire system, laying the foundations for Australia’s future national prosperity and the productivity of the nation, driven by health and medical research and innovation. Since 2021, Research Australia has strongly advocated for the development of this Strategy, and we remain committed to supporting its success.

You can read Research Australia’s full submission and feedback on the draft National Strategy here.

National Health and Medical Research Strategy – Australia Must Not Miss the Chance for Bold Reform

Research Australia, the national peak body for health and medical research and innovation, is urging the Government to be bold and ambitious in finalising the National Health and Medical Research Strategy.

This Strategy, alongside other key reforms currently underway in our sector, presents a timely and unique opportunity to transform and reimagine the entire system. But only if we are courageous in initiating the reforms we need to lay the foundations for Australia’s future health and prosperity driven by health and medical research and innovation. Research Australia has called for the Strategy since 2020 and reiterates that a whole of systems approach – governments, researchers and academics, industry, health services, investors, and the community – is needed to reform the health and medical research and innovation sector.

The current draft is a great start, but we must seize the moment to make real changes. With almost $10.5 billion spent on health and medical research each year, the Strategy can show us how health and medical research improves our health. It must articulate the important role of state and territory governments in funding, translating and implementing health and medical research, development and innovation. It also must outline clear ways to strengthen the industry, philanthropy, private equity and venture capital role in our sector.

“To enable smarter investment, we must take a supply chain approach which reframes investment as a connected production and delivery system rather than a series of isolated funding programs,” said Nadia Levin, CEO & Managing Director of Research Australia.

“Every preventable hospital admission we avoid, every faster diagnosis we enable, and every home-grown medical product we export is productivity in action. Elevating health and medical research and innovation makes that possible.”

You can read Research Australia’s full submission and feedback on the draft National Strategy here.

Inquiry into the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025

Research Australia is pleased to have the opportunity to reiterate its support for the
introduction of an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) through this submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee.

Research Australia believes that the CDC could play an integral infrastructure and
enabling role in the health as well as the research, development and innovation
ecosystem. With its extensive data gathering and analysis capabilities and its responsibility for assessing and mediating the risks of future health emergencies, the CDC will be ideally placed to undertake the function of coordinating the application of research to the prevention and control of disease, both communicable and non-communicable.

Read our submission here.

Response to the Productivity Commission’s Five Pillars of Productivity Inquiries

Research Australia, as the national alliance and peak body for health and medical research and innovation, is pleased to respond to the Productivity Commission’s (PC) Five Pillars of Productivity Inquiries interim reports, by way of a written submission.

Research Australia is deeply committed to the government’s focus on productivity. We
recognise health and medical research, development and innovation not merely as a
contributor to productivity, but a fundamental cornerstone of Australia’s productivity agenda, driving economic diversification, resilience, growth and budget sustainability. The health and medical research and innovation sector contributes to both a healthy nation, and a healthy economy.

Read our submission to the Productivity Commission here.