Watch the program HERE.

Burnet Director and CEO, Professor Brendan Crabb AC — who has been the driving force behind the inaugural Malaria World Congress in Melbourne — applauds Australia’s improved AUD$16 million malaria funding announced by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Julie Bishop MP.

It has been widely welcomed by the malaria sector as a positive step to helping Australia’s neighbouring countries in combating the deadly disease.

Professor Crabb was interviewed on ABC TV’s The World program by Beverley O’Connor.

“It’s a lot of money but in the context of her (Minister Bishop) statement it is nowhere near enough but it is catalytic – to do much more,” Professor Crabb said.

“Really the point of this money is to help build capacities of the countries where this money is focused on, particularly in PNG (Papua New Guinea) but also in Timor-Leste, Indonesia and other places to strengthen their health systems, to strengthen their surveillance systems and strengthen their capacity to detect insect-borne and other diseases, and drug-resistance as it emerges.

“It is not about Australians doing this, but using this catalytic fund to help embolden our partners and give them the capacity to do it themselves.”

Watch the program HERE.

Follow all the news at the 1st Malaria World Congress via their website and Burnet’s.