Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announces $19.5m in funding for Chris O'Brien Lifehouse facility Prime Minister Kevin Rudd takes a tour of the new Chris O'Brien Lifehouse facility. THE Federal government announced this morning they will contribute a further $19.5 million towards the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse facility. Located alongside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, the centre was the ambition of the late RPA brain surgeon Chris O'Brien, who died of after a three-year battle with a malignant brain tumour in 2006. Mr Rudd was joined by Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and Chris O'Brien's widow, Gail, to announce the funding which he said would help to address the growing impact of cancer, now Australia's second biggest killer, with over 100 Australians diagnosed with cancer each day. "Every now and then in political life there are days which make it all worthwhile, this is one of those days, we are making things better for people living with cancer," he said. Chris O'Brien saved lives and he changed lives and this marvellous Lifehouse Centre is about making sure his contribution while he was alive continues well into the future. The centre will begin to treating patients from November this year and Mrs O'Brien said her late husband would be very proud of how the centre was coming together. A thrilled Gail O'Brien wife of late surgeon Chris O Brien takes a tour of the facility with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Just standing here and thinking how he (Mr O'Brien) would feel walking through this door if he was sick; he'd feel safe, his fear would dissolve and he'd feel he was in a place where there are people who could look after him and have a smile on their face. The multi-story modern facility will work as treatment centre with other support options available for patients including counselling support and rehabilitation services. Work began on the centre in April 2009 with the contribution of both state and federal funding. The donation will be matched by Lifehouse which Mr Rudd said would allow the project to be completed by the middle of 2014.