Australia could be left exposed to biowarfare or a new pandemic if medical research funding promises are broken, researchers warn.
Independent MP and former neurologist Monique Ryan joined academics and doctors calling for the delivery of billions of dollars earmarked for medical research.
The Medical Research Future Fund was set up in 2015 with the promise of distributing up to $1 billion a year to researchers, once the total balance reached $20 billion.
The balance is now more than $24 billion but the amount disbursed has stayed at $650 million for a decade.
"In real terms, the government spending from the (fund) is decreasing," Dr Ryan said at Parliament House on Thursday.
"Early and mid-career researchers are finding that they have no career prospects and they are being forced to leave the industry because they can't get funding."
Projects have so far proved successful both medically and economically, with the fund easily outstripping its own target rate of return.
But growing the government coffers is not the only reason to invest in medical research, with the country's top group of scientists saying national security depends on constant innovation in medicine.
"Health security is national security," Australian Academy of Science chief executive Anna-Maria Arabia said.
"Having sovereign capability onshore when it comes to vaccine development, think about biowarfare, threats at the most extreme."
In response to Dr Ryan in question time last week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the fund was here to stay but did not commit to releasing more of it.
A crucial pillar of Australia's future health security will be the new Centre for Disease Control, which was given the final green light by parliament on Thursday.
Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic showed Australia needed to catch up to its fellow OECD nations and have an independent health advisory body, Health Minister Mark Butler said.
"Quite shockingly we're, if anything, in a worse position now than we were in 2020 to manage a pandemic," Mr Butler told ABC radio on Thursday.
"Most importantly, (the COVID inquiry) pointed to the decline in trust and if I want one thing from the CDC, I want it to start rebuilding trust."
