Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

Last night we celebrated 25 years of Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. We recognised that science matters. We recognised that it helps us lead healthier lives and helps us understand the origins of life itself, preserving and protecting our precious environment and improving the way we get things done. Last night we were able to properly recognise the fact that Australian scientists lead the world. We have many of last night's winners here in the gallery. I'd like to acknowledge them and their remarkable work. Thank you very much.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Briefly, astrophysicist Professor Matthew Bailes took out the top prize. His world-first discovery of fast radio bursts is helping unlock humanity's understanding of matter in the universe. Professor Andrew Wilks and Dr Chris Burns shared the Prime Minister's Prize for Innovation for inventing and then commercialising a new drug for treating myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer. The Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year went to Professor Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg, whose pioneering work is reducing the risks for children needing anaesthesia in surgeries. RMIT distinguished professor Tianyi Ma was recognised as the Malcolm McIntosh Physical Scientist of the Year for his groundbreaking work on renewable energy. The Prize for New Innovators went to Dr Andrew Horsley, the co-founder of Quantum Brilliance, who's developing groundbreaking quantum technologies, particularly using synthetic diamonds in quantum microscopes.

Every one of these winners has one thing in common: a teacher who sparked and nurtured their curiosity. That's why I was proud the Prime Minister announced last night that the prizes for teaching have been elevated to exactly the same level as our prizes for top scientists. Briefly, Daniel Edwards from Montello Primary School in Burnie, in Tasmania, took the Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools. He has coached a range of teams from the school to excellent results in not only national but international science competitions. Alice Leung from Concord High School, in Sydney, took the Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools. A self-professed tech nerd who uses social media to inspire and interact with current and former students, she has nurtured students from a huge range of backgrounds into careers in STEM over her 16-year career. Well done to you.

I'm also pleased to inform the House we've announced that, from next year, there will be a new category in the prizes, recognising the contribution of First Nations knowledge systems. For 65,000 years our First Nations people have been developing unique knowledge through their connection with land, sky and water. We hope that by including this new category a new generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scientists will be inspired to follow in their footsteps.

I'll say again: the people that were recognised last night and over 25 years have made an incredible contribution to improving the quality of life in this nation. They have done so through great moments of doubt, wondering whether or not their ideas would come to fruition. We are deeply grateful that they never gave up and that they continued to be determined in pursuing their ideas, because their success has enabled our own and helped our quality of life immeasurably. Thank you for your work.

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