Health and Medical Industries

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:12): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister update the house on new innovations in the medical sector?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in this very important sector. In fact, the health and medical industries sector is attracting a lot of attention, and that is why the Marshall government has identified it as one of our nine priority sectors and an important part of our Growth State Plan. It is why we are currently engaged in a comprehensive consultation process with industry to identify the best opportunities for growth, which will eventually come together in the form of an industry-backed sector plan.

One company doing great things in South Australia and attracting international attention is Fusetec and its director, Mark Roe. I had the great pleasure of meeting Mark last year in China, where he had a 3D-printed heart that he was taking around to show some of the Chinese medical specialists. Mr Roe describes himself as an entrepreneur looking for a challenge. He saw an opportunity in 3D printing to provide technological 3D-printed body parts for the training of surgeons.

It was this morning that I had the great pleasure to attend a demonstration surgery on a Fusetec product. It was in a practice theatre in a building just next to SAHMRI, the Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building. An international documentary is being filmed about Mark Roe and Fusetec. There were cameras everywhere. Dr Adam Wells, a well-known surgeon, performed the surgery, removing a tumour from a model brain in a 3D-printed head. It was unbelievably special to see a South Australian company and a South Australia surgeon do a world first. I thank the members opposite. I was given a pair to go and attend that, and I do thank them for that.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: No, I think it was important to have the support of the whole parliament for this particular event. I thought it was important to be there. It is really something special. We have had some people like the Braggs and Florey and others who have led the globe in medical technology and research, and now we have a 3D printing business that will provide opportunities for surgeons globally—globally—to practise and perform a whole range of procedures. This technology allows paediatric surgeons to practise on children's hearts. It allows normal surgeons to practise on any body part that Mr Roe and his company are able to print.

Interestingly, other companies overseas have tried to copy his technology and they have been unable to do so. He is now partnering with his R&D team at Adelaide University. So this is something that I think all members should be made aware of. This is a great South Australian man and his great company, Fusetec—and I should pay tribute to his whole team—has developed this technology. It will lead the globe in this particular field of, if you like, models for surgeons to practise on. Of course, we know that in Muslim countries they can't practise on human body parts, so this will provide a wonderful opportunity for people to practise and surgeons to be skilled.

I am absolutely sure that hundreds of thousands of people worldwide will get the benefit of quality surgery because they have been able to train using the products that Mr Roe and his team at Fusetec have printed.