$230M BOOST FOR GEELONG’S CSIRO LAB:
Geelong research facility gets $230m injection
A $230 million investment into the CSIRO’s world-leading research facility based in Geelong, where testing of a COVID-19 vaccine is ramping up, will continue the Morrison Government’s multi-pronged response to the pandemic.
Research efforts to find a vaccine will receive a $10 million boost, while $220 million will be spent on upgrading the research body’s high-security Newcomb facility, including refitting and modernising three laboratories and replacing essential infrastructure.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said work to understand COVID-19 at the CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease
Preparedness (ACDP) was the first undertaken outside China.
“This $220 million upgrade will strengthen the ACDP’s emergency response capacity to prepare for and deal with epidemics occurring in Australia and enhance the facility’s already outstanding work in developing disease protection and biosecurity measures,” Mr Hunt said.
“The world-leading team of scientists in Geelong has already commenced pre-clinical trials for vaccine candidates and I am confident they are moving ever closer to bringing forward a vaccine for COVID-19.”
This week it was revealed Geelong CSIRO researchers had conducted preclinical trials of vaccines — potentially able to protect people against COVID-19 — on ferrets.
The centre is one of a limited number of labs worldwide with the highest level of biological safety needed to research diseases transmitted from animals — such as COVID-19.
Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews said the ACDP had expertise in identifying, preventing and controlling viruses.
“CSIRO, with this facility at its heart, developed the world’s first effective flu treatment and a vaccine for Hendra virus,” Minister Andrews said.
“Zoonotic diseases now account for around 75 per cent of human diseases and the work of the ACDP is essential to the ongoing protection of Australians. This upgrade extends the functional lifespan of ACDP infrastructure and ensures that this work will continue.
“ACDP not only protects our community, but our agriculture and trade and broader economy from the threat of these types of diseases.”
CSIRO Chief Executive Larry Marshall said: “The
ACDP, combined with CSIRO’s Health and Biosecurity research and state-of-theart biologics production facility means we are in the best position to deal with the threats today, and those of tomorrow.”
The CSIRO’s Newcomb facility opened in 1985 as the Australian Animal Health Laboratory and has been renamed the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
The Federal Government’s response to COVID-19 has now topped more than $215 billion, including $130 billion to keep workers in jobs announced this week.