This year marks 100 years since the Federal government estab-
lished the Advisory Council of Science and Industry. Its irst
research investment was just £250 to explore ways to control the
spread of the prickly pear pest invading agricultural land in eastern
Australia.
In the ensuing century, the Advisory Council has evolved
into what we now know as the CSIRO and a world-class science
community has come to lourish in Australia. Today, our univer-
sities and public science agencies conduct cutting-edge research
that beneits millions of people around the world.
Australia is also consistently ranked in the top ten producers
of scientiic publications in the world by volume, and our cita-
tion impact is above average in almost every discipline. What’s
more, an estimated $330 billion of our annual economic output
is underpinned by the scientiic advances of the past 20–30 years.
With science and technology evolving faster than ever before
and the fourth industrial revolution offering unprecedented
economic opportunities, cultivating our already strong science
community will be vital to assuring Australia’s future prosperity.
That’s why the government launched the National Innovation
and Science Agenda (NISA), a blueprint for harnessing science,
research and ideas to create a more innovative and entrepre-
neurial Australia. We are investing $1.1 billion over 4 years in
NISA, more than half of which is being directed speciically to
science initiatives.
Australia is home to some of the best scientists and business
minds in the world, but we have the lowest level of collabora-
tion between industry and research sectors in the OECD, so
several initiatives in the Agenda are geared towards fostering
deeper linkages including:- boosting university block grant funding by $50 million per
year and reforming incentives to increase rewards for research
done in partnership with industry; - enabling scientists and industry to engage in long-term plan-
ning by investing $2.3 billion over 10 years in critical national
research infrastructure; - investing $26 million in a ground-breaking silicon-based
quantum computing research centre headquartered at the
University of NSW; and - improving Australia’s international science collaboration
through a $36 million Global Innovation Strategy, which
includes $22 million seed funding to assist Australian collab-
orations with international research–industry clusters.
As we transition from the mining boom to the ideas boom, it
is vital that there is a strong pipeline of scientists entering the
Australian workforce. However, there has been a serious decline
in the number of young people studying science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) at senior secondary and
tertiary levels, so NISA seeks to:- equip young Australians to create and use digital technolo-
gies with $51 million to encourage students through online
computing challenges and targeted programs, and upskill
teachers to implement the digital technologies curriculum; - inspire STEM literacy with $48 million to introduce youth
prizes in the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, and engage
Australian children with STEM-based training programs like
Little Scientists and events like National Science Week; and - increase opportunities for women in STEM with $13 million
to expand the Science in Australia Gender Equity pilot, develop
a new project based on the Male Champions of Change model,
and fund initiatives to promote STEM studies and careers
for women, including in entrepreneurship, startups and inno-
vative industries.
These are just a sample of the measures being offered through
NISA to strengthen our capabilities in science and research so we
can seize the next wave of economic prosperity.
I should emphasise that NISA complements several other
initiatives the government is pursuing to strengthen our science
community. For example, we have tasked an expert group chaired
by the Chief Scientist to develop a 10-year roadmap identifying
Australia’s critical national research infrastructure needs.
We are also working with the states and territories to imple-
ment a national approach to STEM education via the National
STEM School Education Strategy, and we are supporting the
$248 million Industry Growth Centres initiative, which is trans-
lating our world-class science into commercial success.
As we mark the centenary of Federal government involvement
in Australian science, it is worth noting that what began as £250
of research into the prickly pear in 1916 has become a $9.7 billion
investment in science, research and innovation in 2015–16. Span-
ning ields as diverse as quantum computing, manufacturing and
biosecurity, this contribution is above the OECD average as a
percentage of GDP, and relects the government’s ongoing commit-
ment to a strong and vibrant science community in Australia.
I thank Australasian Sciencefor its contribution to science in
Australia over many decades, and encourage you all to play your
part in ensuring that we enjoy a long and fruitful ideas boom.
The Hon. Karen Andrews MP is the Assistant Minister for Science.
38 | JUNE 2016
ELECTION 2016 Karen AndrewsFrom Prickly Pears to Quantum Computing:
Enjoying the Fruits of Australian Science
The government’s blueprint for scientific research will create a more innovative and
entrepreneurial Australia.