Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I thank all members who have contributed to this debate, including the member for Griffith who's just spoken and the member for Hughes who spoke so passionately just before her. We've heard a lot about research and innovation in this debate and, to that end, I want to compliment most earnestly the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, and his assistant minister, the member for Reid, for what they're doing in this space.

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Amendment Bill 2017 makes minor but important amendments to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's governing legislation, the ANSTO Act. The amendments will allow our national nuclear science agency the flexibility to successfully establish an innovation precinct adjacent to its Lucas Heights campus in southern Sydney. They will also allow ANSTO to, potentially, establish additional precincts in association with other campuses. More broadly, the bill will facilitate enhanced collaboration between industry, universities, researchers and ANSTO across all its sites. Importantly, the amendments will only empower ANSTO to make available its expertise and equipment or lease its land and facilities to parties that have a science, innovation, high-tech manufacturing or technology development focus and related amenities, and not for unrelated general retail, office or residential purposes. The proposed ANSTO innovation precinct will co-locate and crowd in scientific partners, knowledge-intensive businesses, high-tech industry, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, and medicine graduates around Australia's centre of nuclear capability and expertise.

Close synergies and collaborations between our publicly funded research agencies, such as ANSTO, Australian universities and Australian business and industry are a national priority, and the minister and his assistant minister have certainly made that key to everything they talk about and everything they bring to the parliament. These are key to driving Australian innovation, and geography does matter for some innovation. Precincts can facilitate the sorts of collaborative relationships Australia needs if it is to innovate and grow. We all know that. As a parliament we want to remove any impediment that may restrict or discourage these relationships. This bill does just that.

ANSTO already contributes so much to the Australian community. On average, one in two Australians will benefit from the life-saving nuclear medicine produced by ANSTO. ANSTO's landmark and national research infrastructure, including the OPAL research reactor, the Australian Synchrotron and the Australian centre for accelerated science, are a crucial part of Australia's scientific, social and economic base. They enable scientists to tackle some of Australia's most pressing challenges, in areas as diverse as human health, the environment and solving complex problems for industry. Critically, they maintain a home-grown highly skilled workforce and help sustain Australia's competitiveness and global relevance. The adoption of this bill will allow ANSTO to deepen its impact and reach for the benefit of Australian innovation, education, business and industry. I commend this bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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