Former West Australian Treasurer, Hon Ben Wyatt, has accepted a position on the Board of WA’s leading medical research organisation, The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Institute Chair, Hon Julie Bishop, said she was delighted that Mr Wyatt had chosen The Kids as his first position since retiring from political life.
“Ben has had an exemplary career of service to the community through politics. I am confident that with his skills, experience and connections, he will be an outstanding contributor to our mission to improve the health and development of children and young people in this state, and around the world,” Ms Bishop said.
Mr Wyatt said he relished the opportunity to work with an organisation that is focussed on prevention and research impact.
Like many West Australians, I’ve been so impressed by the range of research that comes out of The Kids. There’s no doubt they are leaders in areas like infectious diseases, autism and respiratory health that affect so many children.
“The Institute’s focus on working in partnership with communities and families to improve the trajectories for Aboriginal children is particularly important for me. We cannot accept or ignore the continued disparities where our kids often start way behind other Australian children in terms of health and opportunities. We must do better, and we need high quality research along with highly trained Aboriginal researchers to help lead that change. I know this is a top priority for the Institute.”
Institute Director, Professor Jonathan Carapetis, commended Mr Wyatt’s commitment to ensuring every child had the best start to life.
Ben brings both a financial and a cultural lens to the importance of child health and development. Whether a child is affected by disease or disadvantage, it not only affects their childhood, but can have lifelong impacts on their capacity to have meaningful work, relationships and an independent life. We’re looking forward to his insights for our research and our organisation as we continue to navigate some very complex issues for children and families.
Mr Wyatt will attend his first The Kids Board meeting on Thursday.