State leads the way on tropical health funding

Tropical health and jobs have been given a $42 million boost today with the Abbott Government supporting the Queensland Government’s lead to fund the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine.

Queensland Science Minister Ian Walker said the $42 million extra in federal funding showed both the state and federal governments believed the research to be conducted by James Cook University would improve the health of people living in the Tropics.

“We’ve put up $42.12 million to establish the institute, delivering a key election promise to revitalise frontline services, and now the Federal Government has also delivered,” Mr Walker said.

“That translates into an $84 million plus investment in the Far North and North Queensland, and besides the obvious research jobs, this means construction work across Townsville, Cairns and the Torres Strait.

“We’re rebuilding the construction industry across Queensland, one of the four pillars of the economy that we promised at the election to grow.

“By coupling research into tropical medicine with creating jobs in the building industry, we’ve scored a win-win for the top part of the state.”

Mr Walker said more than $34 million from the State would fund construction of the Institute across Townsville, Cairns and the Torres Strait, with millions more earmarked by the Federal Government.

In Mackay, $1.5 million of Federal funding will go towards an Occupational Health Research Centre.

“Dengue, Q fever, melioidosis, streptococcal infections, bacterial sepsis, malaria and tuberculosis pose threats to the North and finding prevention, new treatments and cures is a priority now shared by the State and Federal governments,” he said.

“Having two heads solving these problems is better than one and in this case, two levels of government putting their money into tropical disease research maximises our chances of the best results for people living in the North.”

[ENDS] 9 May 2014

Media contact: Monica Rostron 0409 126 332