Labor is deeply saddened at the passing of Alastair Lucas AO.
Alastair Lucas was a tireless advocate for the cause of medical research in Australia, especially in his role as Chairman of the Burnet Institute from 2002-2014 where he helped raise the organisation into one of Australia’s pre-eminent medical research and public health bodies.
As his colleagues have noted, it is impossible to understate the significance of Alastair’s leadership, and his passing deprives Australia of a magnificent advocate for the cause of medical research.
It is especially tragic that a man who devoted so much of his life to medical research should be so cruelly and swiftly struck down by such a terrible disease and one can only hope that the legacy of Mr Lucas’ work will one day help to find the cures for cancer.
Labor extends its deepest condolences to the family of Alastair Lucas and expresses our profound gratitude for his years of devotion to the cause of health and medical research.