Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the Industry Research and Development Amendment (Innovation and Science Australia) Bill. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this bill because my electorate of Ryan is home to many outstanding research facilities and scientific minds, and this bill will provide a strong foundation for the future of science and innovation across Australia. This bill establishes the new independent body Innovation and Science Australia (ISA). ISA will be responsible for strategic, whole-of-government advice and for setting direction on all science, research and innovation matters, and is a measure of the Turnbull government's commitment to its National Innovation and Science Agenda. As the peak government body for science and innovation in Australia, ISA will publish its research and advice, and will publicly advocate reforms on key issues such as innovation investment, innovation and, most importantly, collaboration. Testament to our government's fiscal responsibility, ISA will better plan and use Australia's investment in research and development. Additionally, the bill will create a statutory framework for the minister to prescribe industry, innovation, science and research programs by legislative instrument.

Industry research, development and innovation are well and truly established in my electorate of Ryan, which boasts some of the world's leading innovators, discoveries and research. This bill will strengthen and encourage further collaboration and work in the sector. In fact, through the establishment of ISA, the coalition government will strengthen extensive business and community stakeholder links with domestic and international players.

This provides me with the perfect segue into how local Ryan SMEs and researchers are tapping into global expertise. Several Ryan electorate businesses and researchers will each receive $7,000 in grants under the government's Global Connections Fund. These grants will support people like Mark Blaskovich from the University of Queensland, Scott Chapman and Ashleigh Cousins from the CSIRO, and Dietmar Hutmacher of Biofabrication Design Solutions to work with their international counterparts on early-stage collaborative meetings and projects that address industry needs. By ISA's assisting key collaborations, these researchers will be able to translate their world-class science and research into growth opportunities.

Life Sciences Queensland, LSQ, is another outstanding example of the calibre of science and research organisations in the Ryan electorate. Headed by their indomitable CEO Mario Pennisi, LSQ supports and grows Queensland's reputation as an international centre of life science and commercial research excellence. LSQ works hard to bring together appropriate players to make a contribution that will strengthen Queensland's and our country's future in life science sectors including human health care, animal health and biotechnology. I look forward to working further with LSQ and Mario Pennisi to ensure Queensland research, innovation and science are supported by ISA to continue their great achievements.

I am proud to say that the prestigious University of Queensland now ranks 55th in the top universities of the world and, importantly, is in the top 10 in commercialisation. Having recently celebrated 80 years of teaching in medicine, the University of Queensland boasts internationally acclaimed researchers like Professor Ian Frazer. Professor Frazer, a local Ryan constituent, was the developer of the HPV vaccine. As an adviser to the World Health Organization, he has dedicated his life to research and the betterment of humankind. Indeed, in his spare time you will see him contributing back to the local community, where he supports the local Rotary and other organisations with wonderful work.

I am sure there are a few members here who cringe at the thought of receiving a needle. Well, as a result of another University of Queensland success story, those days may soon be over. University of Queensland's Professor Mark Kendall and his research team have developed Nanopatch as a needle-free technology to deliver vaccinations, including the polio vaccine. Indeed, the World Health Organization has already put on order several million patches, which will be manufactured locally in Brisbane. As one of Australia's premier research institutions, the University of Queensland tackles significant global challenges, from biosciences and nanotechnology through to sustainable development and social science. This bill will continue to support researchers like Professor Frazer and Professor Kendall and their vital work.

The Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies, located at Pinjarra Hills in the Ryan electorate, is Australia's largest integrated research and development precinct. It is a leading facility that will benefit from this bill. QCAT, as it is known, provides world-class science, engineering and innovation to Australian mining and associated industries. A collaboration between CSIRO, the Queensland government and other R&D centres, QCAT is attracting research and developers seeking to benefit from the precinct's offerings. These efforts are testament again to not only the brilliant minds of researchers in my electorate but also the world-class research being conducted in Australia. We were delighted at Boeing's recent announcement that they were expanding their R&D facility at the University of Queensland, which will mean more jobs for local people and more jobs in the important STEM sector.

Australia is spending $10.1 billion each year on science research and innovation at the federal government level alone. The ISA will ensure that this spending is properly targeted and well spent, instead of the current fragmented advice and decision-making. By establishing Innovation and Science Australia, the coalition government is ensuring that today's investment in innovation will create jobs and growth opportunities which will contribute to our economy in the future. Australians and my constituents alike can be assured that the coalition government's $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda places them at the very forefront of industry research and development. This bill creates the right settings to assist existing innovative organisations to grow, and to aid new innovative market entries. I congratulate the minister and commend this bill to the House.

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