Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to add to the adjournment debate. I must admit, having been here for 13 years, eight years of which have been in government, I don't feel tired at all. The government is forging ahead with its economic recovery after the pandemic.

Last week I had the privilege of presenting a company called Epichem with a certificate on behalf of the Australian government and AusTrade, acknowledging their outstanding contribution to our community and to our economy. Epichem was one of the eight Australian businesses recognised from over 360 entries in the Australian Export & Investment Awards program's 2020 national recognition presentation, hosted by my colleague Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, who was then the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.

In 2020, with exporters facing unprecedented challenges, the traditional program of awarding winners was paused and reshaped to recognise the remarkable stories of resilience from Australian exporters. Epichem and seven other exporting businesses were identified as the most inspiring stories of resilience, as part of these awards. As Australia's leading provider of synthetic and medicinal chemistry services, Epichem met the challenges of COVID-19 head on by protecting its businesses and employees while supporting the community and launching new innovations.

Founded in 2003 in Perth, Epichem creates specialised products and provides technical expertise to customers in more than 40 countries in the pharmaceutical, mining, agricultural and animal health sectors. It exports 80 per cent of its products and services to the US and to Europe, so coronavirus has had a major impact on its business. In early 2020, when the pandemic hit, the company had to put around A$800,000 worth of international project work on hold indefinitely and halt many internal R&D projects. It faced shortages of essential supplies, and reduced income delayed critical equipment purchases, which threatened the business.

With international projects on hold, Epichem moved quickly to pivot the business and support their staff. In the community, Epichem stepped up by supplying community organisations with free hand sanitiser, highlighting the importance of the community coming together in such a difficult time. As well, Epichem worked with distillers to convert gin into ethanol and then into hand sanitiser. The company is also partnering with the WA government to develop dyed hand sanitisers that show which parts of your hands are not sanitised, and a 'smart surface' spray that destabilises the COVID-19 virus on hospital surfaces. My colleague Senator Michaelia Cash and I visited a health training foundation last year and we used the sanitiser that was developed out of gin and saw the effect of not washing your hands properly with sanitiser or with the necessary items. The company developed that sanitiser right in my electorate. The resilience of Epichem serves as an inspiration to other businesses and illustrates how their diversification allowed them to adapt quickly. It was a pleasure to check out Epichem's newly constructed, state-of-the-art laboratory during my visit and meet the team behind the success. I congratulate them again. Epichem is one of the many organisations based in Technology Park in my electorate of Swan. Located in the suburb of Bentley, Technology Park is home to more than 100 organisations, including technology based industry, research and development, academia, and support organisations.

Another organisation based in Technology Park doing extraordinary things, but in the space of scientific research, is the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre. Only last month, during the Prime Minister's visit to my electorate of Swan, the government announced a $387 million investment in the world's largest radiotelescope, as part of the 2021 budget. The funding announced will help build the Square Kilometre Array radiotelescope, which will be based in Western Australia. This investment from the Morrison government will put Australia at the cutting edge of science and technology research whilst creating hundreds of new jobs during the construction phase. It is expected this announcement will support 350 new medium-term construction jobs between 2022 and 2030, with 130 permanent jobs being created in the SKA observatory and 20 additional jobs at the Australian SKA Regional Centre. Under this $387 million investment, $64.4 million is allocated to the data processing centre which is scheduled and expected to be at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre as well.

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