NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has agreed to meet with one of the researchers looking into the high rate of motor neurone disease in Griffith.
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On June 24, Mr Hazzard will meet with Macquarie University's Professor Gilles Guillemin and Member for Murray Helen Dalton at his office in Parliament House.
For the past five years, Professor Guillemin has been trying to uncover why Griffith's rate of motor neurone disease is seven times higher than the national average - however in 2020 his study came to a screeching halt due to a lack of funding.
I am hoping a personal plea from the actual researcher could convince them [the NSW Government] to change their mind,
- Member for Murray Helen Dalton
Professor Guillemin says he hopes this meeting with the Health Minister will help him get the funding he needs to finish his research in the next three years.
"I just want to give him the scientific facts about the potential links between cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and neurological diseases," Professor Guillemin said.
As part of his study, Professor Guillemin was studying the region's waterways to determine if metals, pesticides, or blue-green algae could be triggering the deadly disease.
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Helen Dalton has been pushing for the NSW Government to help fund Macquarie University's studies into the deadly link for the past three years - to no avail.
She hopes introducing Mr Hazzard to Professor Guillemin will pave the way to future funding.
"The NSW Government has refused my repeated requests to fund this vital research," Mrs Dalton said.
"I am hoping a personal plea from the actual researcher could convince them to change their mind."
Mrs Dalton added that it is "absolutely vital" this research receive funding for the sake of the impacted families.
"The many families suffering from this cruel disease deserve answers," she said.
"Once we know the causes, we can work on reducing the rate of increase."
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