It sounds a rather modest amount—$2.1 million—given that I'm sure there are hundreds of Australians damaged. Yes, I agree with the principle. The sum seems to me to be insufficient, but yes, I think that kind of initiative is needed. Even though it's not possible to do experimental studies with mefloquine because it's ethically ruled out, it's still possible to do retrospective studies like case control studies to establish more clearly what the exact risks were with the individuals who took mefloquine. That kind of research could perhaps be covered by these government grants.
On May 15th, 2019. See this statement in context.