Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I commend this motion put forward by the member for McPherson. What does the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February have in common with the philosophy of Plato from 376 BC? This international day is about two things. First, the day aims to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in innovation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics—STEM, as it is known. Plato did not, to my knowledge, avail himself of acronyms in his writings. He was, however—most unusually for the times—a proponent of women's education. He said,

If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.

That was in 376 BC.

Full and equal participation in science and technology for females necessarily begins with Australian girls within our education system. Women can play a vital role in ensuring diversity in research, expanding the pool of talented researchers and bringing in fresh perspectives to the STEM sector. However, our statistics both in Australia and across the world demonstrate that women are underrepresented within this sector. Globally, around 30 per cent of researchers are women, who are awarded less research funding than men. Women account for just 22 per cent of professionals working in artificial intelligence and 28 per cent of engineering graduates. In the private sector, women are less present in company leadership and in technical roles, particularly in tech industries. These glaring underrepresentations limit our ability to find inclusive, sustainable solutions to modern problems.

In my electorate of Hughes, women are taking leadership positions and heading up research within the STEM sector, particularly at organisations such as ANSTO. Our local schools are focusing on encouraging our girls to love science and technology from a young age and then to pursue a career within those technologies.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is also about celebrating those women that have led and are leading scientific action and innovation around the world. Despite the statistics mentioned, women have made remarkable contributions to science and technology throughout history. I take this opportunity to mention a couple of our better-known female scientists: Marie Curie, who won two Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry for her pioneering research on radioactivity; Rosalind Franklin, who brought her physics and chemistry expertise to London coal, where she investigated the properties of carbon during World War II; Ada Lovelace, who worked on the first proposed mechanical general-purpose computer way back in the 1840s; and Barbara McClintock, who won a Nobel Prize for her discovery of jumping genes.

Now I'll turn particularly to Australia's two Fionas: Fiona Stanley, who won a Nobel Prize for her work in researching maternal and child health, particularly the prevention of neurodefects in unborn babies, and Fiona Wood for her pioneering research and technology development in burns medicine. She developed the spray-on skin treatment, in which healthy cells are sprayed onto a burn wound. Australians will clearly remember the assistance given to the Bali bombing patients by Dr Fiona Wood.

I also acknowledge Dr Cathy Foley, who is currently Australia's Chief Scientist. Her best known project is the development of a superconducting sensor that can detect and map deposits of silver, gold and nickel very deep underground. Having a female chief scientist is very important in leading the way for Australian girls and women in science and technology because you cannot be what you cannot see. Women have played a critical role in the development and progress of science and technology. By working together we can create a more inclusive and welcoming environment in all STEM fields. We can help unleash the full potential of women in these fields and drive the innovation and progress that will shape our world for generations to come.

I give support and thanks to all of our Australian girls and women who are currently studying or working in the science and technology fields, and I commend the member for McPherson for this motion.

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