I acknowledge and celebrate the opening of the Perich Centre for Robotics and Health Technology at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research in Liverpool. This centre represents a transformative step forward not only for medical research and innovation but also for the people of south-western Sydney and New South Wales more broadly. The Perich centre, co-located with Liverpool Hospital and part of the Ingham institute, will be home to more than 60 clinical scientists working at the cutting edge of robotics, digital health, artificial intelligence and medical technology. Its work will shape the future of medicine by developing technologies that improve diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes. The vision that underpins this initiative is ambitious but vital: to ensure that technological innovation in health care translates into greater equity so that the benefits of world-class research are felt not just in major metropolitan centres but across every community in our State.
The Ingham institute has long been a source of pride for our community. Its research programs, spanning cancer, cardiology, neuroscience, mental health, population health and beyond, have already saved and improved countless lives. The Perich centre builds on this by offering something truly groundbreaking: a hub for robotics and health technology that is both global in ambition and deeply local in impact. This is what investment in health and research looks like under a Labor government. Through the $160 million Medical Research Support Program, the Ingham institute has received more than $24 million in recent years. Those funds have supported world-class projects that bring together clinicians, researchers and industry to deliver innovations that translate directly from the lab to the bedside.
We know that south-western Sydney has too often been overlooked by those opposite. Our communities carry the heaviest health burdens yet historically have been last in line for investment. The opening of this centre is further proof that this Labor Government is determined to change that pattern. We are not only building facilities in the eastern suburbs; we are backing Liverpool, we are backing south-western Sydney and we are ensuring that communities like mine benefit from cutting-edge medical innovation. I also acknowledge the philanthropic leadership of the Perich family, whose generosity has helped make this centre possible. Their contribution is not just to Liverpool but to the entire State. Their commitment to improving lives through health, education and research deserves recognition in this place.
The centre is a model for the NSW Health Research and Innovation Strategy 2025-2030. It shows how government, academia, health services and industry can work together to keep New South Wales at the forefront of medical research. Already the centre is home to initiatives that are firsts of their kind in Australia and, in some cases, the world. They include wearable devices to support women's health and midwifery, robotic and gamified therapies for people recovering from brain injury, digital tools to prevent diabetes and support child wellbeing, and artificial intelligence applications in cancer, cardiology, neurology and stroke care.
Earlier this year the Ingham institute, through the Perich centre, hosted Australia's first Royal Australasian College of Surgeons accredited surgical robotics training program in partnership with IMRA Surgical. This is more than a milestone; it is a clear signal that south-western Sydney is not just participating in the future of surgery but shaping it. For a diverse and growing community like Liverpool, these are not abstract ideas. They are concrete innovations that will improve care for families who need it most. For people living in regional and remote areas, they mean access to the same world-class treatment as those who live in the city's most privileged postcodes. This Government is investing in people, in innovation and in fairness.
The opening of the Perich Centre for Robotics and Health Technology is a proud moment for Liverpool and south-western Sydney. It is proof of what can be achieved when research, philanthropy and government come together with a shared vision and in service of a common purpose. It is a beacon of what I call compassion-driven innovation—innovation that is not an end in itself but a means of improving lives, expanding access and ensuring equity. I am proud that Liverpool is home to this world-class facility, and I am proud that a Labor government is making sure that medical research serves every community, not just the few. As the member for Liverpool, I am proud that our community is home to this centre. The work that begins there will echo far beyond these walls, transforming the delivery of health care across New South Wales, Australia and, indeed, the world. The Perich centre is more than a building; it is a statement of belief that the future of health care must be smarter, fairer and more accessible. In the words of Professor Les Bokey, "We must strive towards techquity." I commend its opening to the House.
