I have a vested interest in writing this, so too does every person reading it and even those who don't, for the message it contains affects the lives of every person in Australia, including state and federal members of parliament who possess the power to act on the message.

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At its heart the message is simple and to a large extent self-evident. No medically-related research funding equates to no new cures; deficient research funding translates to substantially fewer cures; whereas increased research funding delivers more cures, and those cures significantly change everyone's lives for the better.

Please stop for a moment and consider what I have just said and then ask yourself, how many different ways have you and members of your family benefitted from medical research? How many of your friends have had their lives changed for the better through medical research, and how many family members and friends died prematurely because no cure has yet been found for their deadly illness?

Now please ask yourself another question. If medical research funding had been prioritised by governments at the state and federal level, how many family members and friends may not be suffering from serious, painful medical conditions or worse still, would not have passed away prematurely? If researchers, who dedicate their lives to finding cures for diseases had received increased funding, what may have been the outcome?

Medical research spans a plethora of serious illnesses, but regardless of a person's health condition, is there anyone who would say no to increased funding for medical research on humanitarian grounds? Would anyone suffering from the many illnesses that directly or indirectly affect their lives vote against increased research funding?

No one, including members of parliament, know what serious health issues may afflict them, their family members and friends in the future, but........

© Canberra Times