❓ The Premier outlines government support for medical and life-science industries in WA, highlighting investment in the NovaCina facility and its role in diversifying the economy and responding to COVID-19.
AnsweredQoN 847Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MEDICAL RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING — INVESTMENT
847. Ms H.M. BEAZLEY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the members for Perth and Nedlands, I acknowledge and welcome student
leaders from Bob Hawke College who are in the gallery today. On behalf of the
member for Swan Hills, I welcome student leaders from Upper Swan Primary
School.
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's vision to diversify the state's economy to attract
investment across a broad range of industries.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the government is supporting medical and
life-science industries to establish in Western Australia, creating quality
jobs?
(2) Can the
Premier explain how this support builds on the WA Labor government's
world-leading response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
847. Ms H.M. BEAZLEY to the Premier:
Before I ask my question, on behalf
of the members for Perth and Nedlands, I acknowledge and welcome student
leaders from Bob Hawke College who are in the gallery today. On behalf of the
member for Swan Hills, I welcome student leaders from Upper Swan Primary
School.
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's vision to diversify the state's economy to attract
investment across a broad range of industries.
(1) Can the
Premier outline to the house how the government is supporting medical and
life-science industries to establish in Western Australia, creating quality
jobs?
(2) Can the
Premier explain how this support builds on the WA Labor government's
world-leading response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. Before I begin, I join all members of Parliament in acknowledging the
passing of Tinesh Tamilkodi, the paramedic who lost his life last night in a horrible
accident in the southern suburbs. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and
colleagues for this dreadful accident and his passing.
(1)–(2) We
know that Perth is one of the most isolated places on earth, but it is also home
to some of the most innovative and talented
medical researchers and technicians in the world. Local advances in
biotechnology and life sciences are bringing about improvements to lives
all around the globe. Western Australia has a long history of great advances in
medical and life sciences. As a government, we provide support to universities, through progressive government
policy and through our tradition of supporting Telethon, which supports
the sick and disadvantaged kids of Western Australia. To build on that history,
my government is grasping at a major economic opportunity—that is, to
be a world leader in medical and life sciences, one of the eight sectors we
have identified as part of Diversify WA to continue to support our growing
economy. By attracting medical manufacturing here, it will help us to continue
to diversify our economy and create great local jobs, all while contributing to
the global need for quality medical products.
Yesterday,
I visited the former Pfizer-owned facility in Bentley, which was due to close
next year. Its closure would have put hundreds of jobs at risk. We
welcomed the news last year when global pharmaceutical company Bridgewest Group
announced that it would acquire the facility, rescuing 400 quality jobs for our great medical technicians. The newly named
NovaCina facility manufactures sterile injectables and pharmaceuticals with a whole
range of uses, including life-saving cancer medications. The 400 jobs are
exactly the kind of work that we want to see taken up. Bridgewest described the
facility as predominantly substandard in
terms of the modernisation needed of the equipment, but it said that the
workforce was first class. Being able to plug into this great skilled workforce
provided it with a great opportunity to invest in WA.
We want to do more things here. With
the support of my government, NovaCina is set to expand even further. The
Minister for Medical Research, Hon Stephen Dawson, and I have announced a $2 million
grant through our investment attraction fund to support a significant expansion
of this facility, which is expected to create an extra 70 local jobs. Upgrades
will include a new automated line to make products such as eye-droppers and a newly
designed packaging line. It will also support commercialisation of local
intellectual property, replacing importation needs and driving innovation and
commercial opportunities.
We saw during the COVID-19 pandemic
that there was a significant gap in Western Australia's sovereign
manufacturing capacity. The NovaCina facility is now producing saline
injectables that are part of our overall vaccine program. It remains an
important facility to support. As the president of NovaCina said yesterday, if anyone goes to a hospital today,
chances are they will be using one of the company's products that are manufactured here in Western Australia. Our Diversify WA strategy is
coming to fruition.
Of course, our visit to the former
Pfizer facility comes during a wave of increased COVID transmission. Several of
us, including the Deputy Premier and I, can attest to that fact. It is
important that we remain vigilant in relation to COVID-19 and other respiratory
viruses. This is an expected part of the ongoing evolution of COVID-19 in the
community, as people's immunity wanes over time. My advice remains the
same: stay home if you are sick, wash or sanitise your hands regularly and
cover your mouth when you cough. Do not visit high-risk settings such as
aged-care facilities or hospitals if you have cold or flu symptoms. The best
way we can protect ourselves against COVID-19 is to protect each other through
good proactive behaviours. Once again, I thank the members of our health
workforce, who continue to do great work to ensure that Western Australia's
response to COVID-19 continues to be world leading.
question. Before I begin, I join all members of Parliament in acknowledging the
passing of Tinesh Tamilkodi, the paramedic who lost his life last night in a horrible
accident in the southern suburbs. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and
colleagues for this dreadful accident and his passing.
(1)–(2) We
know that Perth is one of the most isolated places on earth, but it is also home
to some of the most innovative and talented
medical researchers and technicians in the world. Local advances in
biotechnology and life sciences are bringing about improvements to lives
all around the globe. Western Australia has a long history of great advances in
medical and life sciences. As a government, we provide support to universities, through progressive government
policy and through our tradition of supporting Telethon, which supports
the sick and disadvantaged kids of Western Australia. To build on that history,
my government is grasping at a major economic opportunity—that is, to
be a world leader in medical and life sciences, one of the eight sectors we
have identified as part of Diversify WA to continue to support our growing
economy. By attracting medical manufacturing here, it will help us to continue
to diversify our economy and create great local jobs, all while contributing to
the global need for quality medical products.
Yesterday,
I visited the former Pfizer-owned facility in Bentley, which was due to close
next year. Its closure would have put hundreds of jobs at risk. We
welcomed the news last year when global pharmaceutical company Bridgewest Group
announced that it would acquire the facility, rescuing 400 quality jobs for our great medical technicians. The newly named
NovaCina facility manufactures sterile injectables and pharmaceuticals with a whole
range of uses, including life-saving cancer medications. The 400 jobs are
exactly the kind of work that we want to see taken up. Bridgewest described the
facility as predominantly substandard in
terms of the modernisation needed of the equipment, but it said that the
workforce was first class. Being able to plug into this great skilled workforce
provided it with a great opportunity to invest in WA.
We want to do more things here. With
the support of my government, NovaCina is set to expand even further. The
Minister for Medical Research, Hon Stephen Dawson, and I have announced a $2 million
grant through our investment attraction fund to support a significant expansion
of this facility, which is expected to create an extra 70 local jobs. Upgrades
will include a new automated line to make products such as eye-droppers and a newly
designed packaging line. It will also support commercialisation of local
intellectual property, replacing importation needs and driving innovation and
commercial opportunities.
We saw during the COVID-19 pandemic
that there was a significant gap in Western Australia's sovereign
manufacturing capacity. The NovaCina facility is now producing saline
injectables that are part of our overall vaccine program. It remains an
important facility to support. As the president of NovaCina said yesterday, if anyone goes to a hospital today,
chances are they will be using one of the company's products that are manufactured here in Western Australia. Our Diversify WA strategy is
coming to fruition.
Of course, our visit to the former
Pfizer facility comes during a wave of increased COVID transmission. Several of
us, including the Deputy Premier and I, can attest to that fact. It is
important that we remain vigilant in relation to COVID-19 and other respiratory
viruses. This is an expected part of the ongoing evolution of COVID-19 in the
community, as people's immunity wanes over time. My advice remains the
same: stay home if you are sick, wash or sanitise your hands regularly and
cover your mouth when you cough. Do not visit high-risk settings such as
aged-care facilities or hospitals if you have cold or flu symptoms. The best
way we can protect ourselves against COVID-19 is to protect each other through
good proactive behaviours. Once again, I thank the members of our health
workforce, who continue to do great work to ensure that Western Australia's
response to COVID-19 continues to be world leading.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.