Sorry – I thought I was having a stroke, but was just disassociating from watching yet another question time.

Monique Ryan has a question:

The Medical Research Future Fund was set up to be a $20 billion fund which was to disperse a billion dollars a year. It’s now worth $24 billion but you’re spending only $650 million a year. While our researchers are struggling with cost pressures and geopolitical uncertainties. Will you release this funding? Will you help our medical researchers achieve their potential and work for the benefit of all Australians?

After a bit of political whiffle woffle, Mark Butler gets to the question:

The member asked about the addition of capability for research. I was trying to address the fact not only is there 2.5 times as much money, there is a priority driven stream of research funding now that I think is a real addition to what we’ve had for decades. The member is right. There’s been a policy decision in government going back to the former government to cap allocations from in MRFF at $650 million a year which is added to the $850 million budget of the NHMRC adds up to the $1.5 billion. There’s debate in the research community about that. That will play out as part of the development of a national strategy for health and medical research. A draft of that strategy is due to be published very shortly and I’m sure there will be a discussion about the maximum allocation and the Treasurer and finance minister have just conducted their 10-year statutory review and it will be published shortly as well.