Research Funds

Medical Research Funding Cuts Abandoned

Eight weeks of overwhelming community opposition to planned government cuts to health and medical research have seen the Australian Government protect medical research funding in the 2011-12 budget.

Read more about how the AMDF and its supporters contributed to the safeguarding $850 million of medical research funding.

Earlier this year, the National Health and Medical Research Council faced a potential $400 million cut to research funding in the May budget.  Upon learning this news, the AMDF acted quickly, asking its supporters to do whatever they could to advocate their opposition to this budget cut.

In doing so, the issue attracted much media attention, with many people gaining access to politicians at all levels.  The idea was to prevent any proposed cuts by making the government nervous about a public backlash. 

In early April, supporters of this cause attended ‘Rallies for Research’ in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.  Complementing these public displays of disapproval were the thousands of letters sent to MPs as well as a petition that was signed by more than 14 500 Australians. 

In a big win for the AMDF, we are happy to announce that people power has worked and the proposed cuts to medical research funding have been abandoned!

Thank you to all those who responded to this crisis and contributed to its aversion in a myriad of ways. 

The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, The Honourable mark Butler MP, has praised the medical research community for their passion and diligence and thanked the campaign for raising the profile of medical research in the community. 

Watch a video of Mr Butler’s words of gratitude here on YouTube