Heart Foundation Queensland Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network

As Patron of the Queensland Division of the National Heart Foundation, it is a great pleasure to welcome you all to Government House this evening on this important occasion — the launch of the Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network.

I say ‘important’ not only because the launch of this network is so significant for the Heart Foundation and for Queensland researchers, but because this is a visionary move which offers enormous long-term health, economic and social benefits to our State.

As a nation today, we are less willing to take bold, innovative steps than we once were, and more reluctant to undertake new ventures. Some writers have gone so far as to brand us ‘innovation laggards’ and a ‘stall out’ nation which may have been a leader in the past, particularly in technological development, but is now losing momentum.

How refreshing it is then, to learn that the Heart Foundation made the decision, two years ago, to bring together researchers from across Queensland, and to develop a mechanism enabling our universities, institutes and hospitals to address our State’s consistent under-representation in cardiovascular research grants, and, ultimately, secure greater financial investment for this vital work.

The resultant Network is a triumph of vision and collaboration.

I warmly congratulate the Heart Foundation, Professor Michael Good as chairman of the Network steering committee, and the committee members, and look forward to seeing the benefits that will undoubtedly flow from this clever initiative.

It now gives me great pleasure to officially launch the Queensland Cardiovascular Research Network and extend my very best wishes to the founding members for its future success.

Now please enjoy the fine Queensland hospitality on offer tonight.

It may very well please you to learn that tonight's menu, aside from utilising the freshest available Queensland produce, also complies with the Heart Foundation's healthy eating guidelines.

What is perhaps less pleasing - at least for me - is this necessarily precludes our serving you Government House's trademark, but admittedly decadent, deep fried tempura Mooloolaba prawns!

Perhaps beneficially for us all (and particularly for our Governor) they have been replaced with the equally delicious and slightly more salubrious and compliant Queensland tomato tartlets with basil pesto and vincotto!