Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science) Share this | Hansard source

Oh! the assistant minister is in the chamber. The member for Reid, Craig Laundy, is driving this forward. To give you an example, take registration of a cafe in Western Sydney from seven months down to two months—that is the sort of real-world practical outcome which we want to achieve, because very few things will have more impact on creating new businesses than reducing bureaucracy and red tape. But we are not just going to do it ourselves; we are engaging the states and the councils on this.

The other element of the third wave is a national strategy for university precincts. This has never been done in Australian history. We have never had a national strategy for university precincts, driven from the top, working with each of the 39 public universities in Australia. I am happy to work with the private ones as well. That is where we will see 2¼ times the rate of growth in jobs formation as opposed to the general economy.

The United States and Germany are arguably university driven economies. Australia has had great success on the university front, but we have not been a university driven economy. In my time and my term, that is one thing which I wish to see and to which, as a government, we want to move towards.

That then brings me finally to the bill itself. This bill, as has been discussed, establishes Innovation and Science Australia. It lays out the pathway for the audit. It lays out the pathway for the 2030 plan for innovation and science. We had first, second and third waves of innovation and science. This is about planning right out to 2030. It is taking the long view but twinning it with practical action now. Ultimately, under Bill Ferris and Alan Finkel, Innovation and Science Australia will bring some of the best minds in the country together to attract investment, to drive long-term planning and to help drive government's role as an exemplar.

For those reasons, I want to thank all involved and commend my predecessor and the Prime Minister, who has made this a strong, personal passion. As we drive jobs and prepare for the future, this agenda will be the pathway for assisting the nation to do it and to do it effectively. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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