Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Eight months in, and I'm glad to see that the Labor Party are still running with the previous coalition government's policies—and why wouldn't they? The coalition delivered record funding and historic reform to higher education and further education. In government, we undertook a significant piece of work to review the government's investment in research to drive greater benefits for our economy. What we discovered was, whilst we undertook world-leading research and published more than 100,000 academic papers, as a nation we often don't do a lot with that research beyond the initial exploration. So, when in government, we consulted industry, we came up with a plan and we took action, because that's what Australians expect of their governments.

Our $2.2 billion University Research Commercialisation Package was—and, as turns out, remains—focused on boosting Australia's economy and our productivity. We wanted to see those core manufacturing priorities backed by quality university research, in addition to the $1½ billion we invested through the Modern Manufacturing program. These priority areas were those we had identified as areas where Australia had significant comparative advantage and a strategic national interest. Those areas were (1) medical products, (2) food and beverage, (3) recycling and clean energy, (4) resources technology and critical minerals processing, (5) defence industry and (6) space. I'm pleased to say that the Sunshine Coast—and I know this will come as no surprise to you, Madam Deputy Speaker Sharkie—is playing a very large role in many, if not most, of those areas, but particularly in the manufacturing of medical products, and food and beverage, and, after many years of my own advocacy, in the defence space as well. That's defence, not necessarily space, which is the sixth one. I'm just seeing if you are keeping up!

We also wanted to ramp up commercialisation activity at universities beyond the big cities. We wanted to see genuine and purposeful collaboration between universities and industry, and we wanted to back innovators and scholars who could deliver on those projects. We began by funding the $243 million Trailblazer Universities Program to boost research and development. This saw universities like the University of Southern Queensland, in regional Queensland, take a lead in Australia's space industry research and commercialisation. We injected $150 million into the CSIRO Main Sequence Ventures program to back start-ups engaged in commercial research, and we put $296 million on the table to fund 1,800 industry PhDs and 800 fellowships over a decade. That is a very significant investment into individual research projects.

We made a plan, and we acted, because we believe in Australia's researchers and Australia's research potential. But research without consequence is not bang for buck when it comes to federal government funding. I want to remind this government that the money in their budget is taxpayers' money. It belongs to the Australian people, whose good faith keeps us here and decides who will govern this country for the benefit of all Australians. The Australian people expect that their money is invested in research which will improve their lives, research which can be translated into something meaningful—research which can be commercialised. That's why our University Research Commercialisation package included $1.6 billion for a decade-long investment into Australia's Economic Accelerator, a staged and competitive funding program to support universities to do just that. This bill will support small businesses and local manufacturers on the Sunshine Coast and across Australia, who will benefit from the commercialisation of research.

It's vital that we invest in new-to-industry innovations and that we invest in our regional communities. I know, Madam Deputy Speaker Sharkie, that is a topic and issue which is very near and dear to your heart. I think of the one-minute COVID test, which was made possible thanks to both an advancing commercialisation manufacturing grant and the research capacity of the University of Utah. It was the first product of its kind made here in Australia, employing advanced technologies and methods drawn from cutting-edge sciences like quantum biology and the Internet of Things. With this investment, domestic universities will be able to offer a similar level of research capability in emerging fields, meaning that innovators will look to Australia first. This bill will help us stem the drain of private investment into research by backing in our research institutions as they enter the unknown in some of our most cutting-edge industries. I think of the Turbine project developed by the Food and Agribusiness Network, which both the member for Fairfax and I supported for many years. This project, based at the Sunshine Coast Airport and funded by the coalition government, will see the Sunshine Coast become a launch pad for primary producers and manufacturers to export their goods across the nation and indeed around the world.

Both these projects are platforms and products born on the Sunshine Coast which have the potential to transform the local economy and global industry. I think it's important to note that these were not ideas cooked up in the CBDs of Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne or even here in Canberra. These were created in regional Australia by regional Australian innovators. With the support of the federal government, they've been able to translate their ideas into marketable and market-supporting products and services.

To that end, I'm particularly keen to see regional universities afforded their fair share of investment under this package. I welcome the Minister for Education, who has, clearly, noted the content of my speech and come into this chamber to listen to it, and a very good thing it is, too! I also want to see regional universities and regional industry represented at the decision-making table. Regional universities play a crucial role in supporting and delivering regional economic development strategies and in uplifting the economy, community and livability in these regions. University research can play a particularly significant role in boosting the efficiency and resilience of primary producers in addition to the resources, healthcare and regional tourism sectors.

In my own patch I'm very proud to say that the University of the Sunshine Coast is doing just that. Fisheries are thriving in regional communities, with rural localities relying on primary industries like agriculture and fisheries which are engaged in our retail, tourism and professional services sectors. These are the areas on which the University of the Sunshine Coast is having a remarkable impact. Since 2016 alone UniSC has delivered nearly $25 million worth of international agriculture research into forest biosecurity, sustainable fisheries and building supply chain resilience for fruitgrowers, pearl miners and seaweed exporters. Queensland great Professor Peter Timms has led world-leading research into vaccine development, most notably for the protection of our endangered koalas from the problems that they have with chlamydia. The university's work in mapping our local emerging innovation ecosystem to guide what some are calling the 'silicon coast' has led the Sunshine Coast to successful efforts in being named a smart city both at home and abroad.

As the education minister is here and because he's relatively new to the job and he may not have heard of the Thompson Institute on the Sunshine Coast, I'll take the opportunity to talk about the institute. It's attached to the University of the Sunshine Coast and was funded by the previous government to the tune of $20 million to provide research funding for things like post-traumatic stress disorder. They're building the first research facility in the country dedicated to PTSD, and Thompson Institute have been doing some amazing work in neuroscience research. We know that we're suffering from the scourge of mental health problems in this country, and, rather than just loading people up with drugs, Professor Jim Lagopoulos is doing groundbreaking research work. We funded a particular type of MRI machine for the Thompson Institute so that they can take images of the brain and look in detail at how drugs impact on people who suffer from various mental illnesses. It is groundbreaking research, and I take this opportunity to remind the education minister about the great work that Thompson Institute does because it's not only a research facility but also a teaching facility.

The function and governance of the program I'm talking about is not just about a pool of funds to be dished out willy-nilly. From the initial proof of concept through the difficult period of trial and testing to commercial realisation, universities will be evaluated and supported. This is about attracting projects with high commercialisation potential, projects that are scalable and ready to progress. It's not about theoretical and philosophical propositions; it's about tangible and practical outcomes for the market and the Australian community. Strict governance and industry engagement will see this funding invested where it will reap the best dividends. This includes an advisory board that draws upon the collective experience of industry, government and both the university and corporate sectors. The work of the board and the program outcomes will be distilled into an annual report provided to the parliament and presented by the minister. I note that the report will look at the regulatory, financial and cultural barriers that exist for commercialising our research and propose opportunities to address these barriers.

I call on the federal government and the advisory board—and, as the minister is in the chamber, I reiterate this point—to ensure that geographical barriers and disparities affecting regional Australian universities are considered and represented in decision-making. This is about giving regional unis, regional industries and regional academics a fair go. We don't want to see all of these funds go to the major universities in our largest cities.

It's also about providing clarity, structure and certainty to newly created research opportunities and pathways. This includes embedding researchers in industry settings and engaging industry and businesses more comprehensively in the process of research and in research outputs. It looks like companies hosting PhD students and postgraduate researchers, a model which will provide benefits to industry, individuals and the institution itself. This kind of approach will boost researcher employability beyond academia and will equip universities with the knowledge and platform to foster employment, work experience and financial partnership opportunities. In other words, the program provides a chance for meaningful collaboration across sectors and allows universities to back in highly skilled workforces in critical sectors.

I'm also pleased to see a new suite of Australian Research Council fellowships to acknowledge and reward our academics who collaborate with industry to drive the translation and commercialisation of their research into products, services and employment outcomes. This is about building career pathways in innovation for scholars and graduates, and it is about turbocharging Australia's research commercialisation capabilities at regional and global levels. I look forward to a whole new cohort of ARC fellows from UniSC and regional universities across the country tackling a variety of issues across those industries and others.

As I said from the outset, I support this bill because it's a good bill, and it's a good bill because it's a coalition bill. Once again, the Labor government has little plan for research commercialisation so they've taken ours, but I'm not complaining. It just shows once again that the coalition is on the side of small businesses, manufacturers and regional universities. The coalition is on the side of Australians who want to have a go. We are the party of the pioneer Australians. We are the party of the Australian dream, of the hard worker, the innovator and the changemaker. We are the party of regional Australians, and I'm proud to speak on their behalf today.

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