Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the importance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February 2023, and the amazing contribution of Australian women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields; and

(2) acknowledges the crucial work undertaken by the previous Government to promote gender equity in STEM in Australia.

This Saturday, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science allows us, globally, to mark the need to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is the eighth year of such a commemoration, and I thank the many organisations across the nation that will mark the day. As the former Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, I know that Australian women make a significant contribution to leadership in science, particularly in STEM fields, and I'm sure that everyone here can agree that female representation at the highest levels in Australian science is essential to improving outcomes.

Australian women certainly do lead by example. Dr Cathy Foley has served as Australia's Chief Scientist since 2021 and as the chief scientist at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, since 2018. Astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith, as the Women in STEM Ambassador, works tirelessly to raise awareness of gender inequity and implement the Women in STEM Decadal Plan, and I acknowledge those opposite for reappointing Ms Harvey-Smith in that role last year.

I know firsthand that the Coalition, in government, was committed to promoting gender equity in STEM across the country, including those crucial senior appointments that I have just mentioned. The Coalition broke down barriers to the advancement of women and girls in STEM, investing more than $147 million to support gender equity in STEM across multiple programs and initiatives, including the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants program, the Australian Academy of Science's Women in STEM Decadal Plan and the first Women in STEM Ambassador, and we established the Boosting Female Founders Initiative in 2018 to assist female entrepreneurs, who are underrepresented in the innovation and technology sectors, often because they face greater obstacles in getting early-stage finance.

The 2022 STEM Equity Monitor revealed that, from 2018 to 2021, there was a 34 per cent increase in the number of women in STEM-qualified occupations, compared to a six per cent increase amongst men. Figures also reveal that more women are choosing to study STEM, and I was very pleased to visit a number of schools in my electorate and to hear, anecdotally, that they are seeing more girls choosing to studying maths and science subjects. I am looking forward to even further increases in representation over the coming years and to those students continuing with their studies, post secondary, whether that be at university or through a vocational education qualification.

Between 2018 and 2020, the number of women enrolled in STEM courses at university increased from 77,000 to 87,000. This was a 12 per cent increase, compared to a five per cent increase for men. Whilst those numbers remain relatively small, it is a significant improvement. The coalition created broader opportunity for women in STEM fields through policy measures such as the establishment of the Australian Space Agency in 2017, with the goal of tripling the size of Australia's space sector and creating up to 20,000 more jobs by 2030. Through our dedicated science policy, we established the National Science and Technology Council as the peak advisory body to the Prime Minister and other ministers on science. I am very, very proud of the more than one-billion-dollar National Innovation and Science Agenda, including the CSIRO Innovation Fund, the Cyber Security Growth Centre, tax incentives for early stage investors, and crowdsourced equity funding legislation. We also established Industry Innovation and Science Australia to make sure that those three fields were as connected as they possibly could be.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is going to heighten the visibility of girls and women in STEM and the importance of the opportunities this field of study and career can provide. I am very pleased at the widespread support for this motion, but I call on all of the members in this place who share the view that it is in the national interest to drive greater gender equity in the crucial field of STEM to support this motion.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Is there a seconder for the motion?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise to second this motion moved by my friend and colleague and, of course, Australia's former minister for industry and science. Today marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This affords us the opportunity to further recognise the role that women and girls play in science, while promoting STEM careers to future generations of women.

As we know, many scientific leaders over the centuries have been women and they have advanced the frontiers of human knowledge—women like Marie Curie, Rachel Carson and Ada Lovelace, and Rosalind Franklin, who had an important role in the discovery of DNA. We have many distinguished women scientists in Australia. The Chief Scientist, Cathy Foley, has already been named. She's a great champion of women and of diversity. I'm pleased to say she is a constituent of mine in Bradfield. Tanya Monro is an Australian physicist known for her work in photonics, who became the first ever female Chief Defence Scientist. I want to particularly acknowledge Patricia Selkirk, who was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List halfway through last year. She is a resident of my electorate, and she's made a very distinguished contribution to Antarctic science over many decades.

The evidence is very, very clear, if any proof be required, of the distinguished contribution that women have made to science in Australia and globally. But there is much more that we need to do. STEM—science, technology, engineering and maths—careers are enormously important, and the sectors which draw on these careers are continuing to expand. We know, as a general proposition, that diversity leads to better problem-solving, as people bring different perspectives and the more different perspectives that are brought to a problem the more likely the problem is to be solved. That is as true of gender diversity as it is of other kinds of diversity.

Over the last few months, I've had the opportunity to meet a number of very impressive women leaders in my work as shadow minister for science. I'll mention just a few. There's Michelle Simmons, who was Australian of the Year in 2018 and is a global leader in quantum computing from her very impressive lab at UNSW, and who I've had the chance to meet. She leads a very dedicated and highly qualified team of people working at the very frontiers of knowledge. There's Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, who co-leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University. She's also the co-founder of the Women Researchers' Network at RMIT University and a board member of Women in STEM Australia. There's Professor Orsola De Marco, at the Research Centre for Astronomy at Macquarie University.

What stands out amongst these outstanding women and others I've had the opportunity to meet is not only their distinguished achievements in scientific research and discovery, but also the work they do to champion careers in science to women at all levels—girls in high school who may be thinking about science as a career; undergraduate students making that decision as to whether they might pursue postgraduate study and a PhD; postdoctoral students and academics at the early stages of their career; women throughout all stages of their careers.

The reality is that there remains a set of challenges facing women scientists and women researchers when it comes to juggling the many demands in their lives, including family and motherhood responsibilities in many cases. We also know that women who achieve prominence and distinction get called upon to give assistance and support in so many ways. So the demands that leading women scientists face, in many ways, are of a different character to those faced by male scientists.

We all take enormous pride in our scientists generally, but particularly in our women scientists. A great deal has been achieved, but it's clear that more needs to be done. I'm very pleased to lend my voice in support on this motion on this International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for McPherson, a fellow engineer, for drawing attention to the importance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It's no secret that I'm passionate about encouraging kids to consider careers in STEM, particularly girls. In my first speech I explained how a love of science starts in childhood. We must give girls Lego to start those building blocks, hand girls spanners and encourage them to use a telescope to reach for the stars.

When I spoke about reaching for the stars in my first speech I was specifically thinking about Dr Gemma Anderson, whose dad shared his love of the stars and helped her gaze at our vast universe through a telescope. Gemma describes this as being a pivotal moment of her deciding to become an observational astronomer. Using radio waves she has monitored black holes, supernovas and gamma ray bursts.

One of Gemma's colleagues, another impressive Swan local, Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, moved to WA to work on the Murchison Widefield Array, a low-frequency precursor radio telescope to the Square Kilometre Array. Last year, Dr Hurley-Walker was awarded the Astronomical Society of Australia's Anne Green Prize for her work in telescopic imaging of the Milky Way. She also has a great TEDxPerth talk.

There are more impressive Swan women. There's Dr Lucy Commander, who's known for her outstanding research on seed germination in arid Western Australia and the Middle East. Her research has helped the mining industry improve ecological restoration. Effective mine rehabilitation is critical for the mining industry to obtain its social license to operate.

Dr Shani Higginbottom is a researcher scientist for Alcoa and is the lead for the Bayer process research and development. Her work in creating efficiencies in creation of alumina from bauxite will be critical in Australia harnessing our bauxite reserves to their fullest potential.

And, finally, Dr Irene Suarez-Martinez is a material scientist with expertise on the chemistry and physics of carbon materials. She's recently studied the relationship between carbon particles and the greenhouse gas effect. She combines her love of science with fashion, making science outfits with a story. When I met Dr Suarez-Martinez last year at the Science Meets Parliament cocktail reception, she wore a dress representing a crystal lattice structure complete with dislocations to create a form-fitting lattice structure. I thank these rockstar women in STEM in Swan.

Despite having legendary examples, the number of women who work in STEM is only 18 per cent. As an engineer with an 18-year career, I know firsthand that we aren't using our full talent pool. Women are less likely to head into STEM careers. They are also less likely to stay in STEM careers. I remember one of the mothers from my mothers group telling me her mantra as an academic: 'publish or perish'.

Finally, to quote Danielle Wood from the Grattan Institute at the Jobs and Skills Summit:

… if untapped women's workforce participation was a massive iron ore deposit, we would have governments falling over themselves to give subsidies to get it out of the ground.

I know this has to change, especially in STEM. The Albanese Labor government is listening and we are acting. We are committed to developing pathways for women and girls to enter STEM careers and stay in them. I'm proud to be a part of a government that is reviewing women-in-STEM programs to determine what's working and what's not and to widen our talent pool. Last month, Minister Husic announced $15.9 million in new WiSE programs for 17 projects that are supporting more women to study and build careers in STEM.

We are ensuring that girls are at the core of our clean energy transition. We are formalising the government's commitment to gender equality in the clean energy transition by signing up to the equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunity objectives of the global Equal by 30 campaign. This commitment is backed by our government's commitment to make Australia a green industry powerhouse. On Friday, Minister Husic commenced consultation on our National Battery Strategy. Developing this strategy will be critical to our transition to decarbonise our economy, hit our targets and foster innovation and industry. This will mean more STEM jobs for women. I'm looking forward to a future where more girls and women will become the rock stars of STEM.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for McPherson for bringing this motion forward. I am always delighted when women in the Australian parliament stand on a unity ticket on gender equality.

As we approach the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I am thrilled to be able to stand here today to recognise and, indeed, celebrate the Novocastrian women and girls studying, working and leading in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Albanese Labor government is taking action to drive gender equality across the board, including STEM, where women are persistently underrepresented.

I want to congratulate the University of Newcastle for being a successful recipient in the federal government's Women in STEM Cadetships and Advanced Apprenticeships program. This initiative is creating an extra 267 places at universities across Australia for women and girls in STEM. In Newcastle, it's funding 19 cadetships in STEM for women to undertake a diploma through the College of Engineering, Science and Environment. It's an innovative program to support women to study part time while they're continuing their careers, and it comes at a vital time for Newcastle, as we are strengthening our position as a clean energy hub. The Albanese government understands that it is crucial to embed gender equality as we decarbonise the economy.

I want to highlight a few initiatives running at the University of Newcastle. The Women in STEM Mentoring Program is doing a terrific job connecting undergraduate students with industry professionals and alumni. We all know the value that comes from hearing from someone with lived experience, and this program helps students to create professional networks while they're studying, explore opportunities, and develop personal and professional skills. The Female Founders Program is another free 12-week program, a course that acts as a springboard for female founders in the startup community. It provides access to a supportive professional network, industry experts and peer-to-peer learning.

A big shout-out goes to HunterWiSE, who run a 10-week school outreach program for girls in year 8, as well as networking events for female STEM professionals across the Hunter. HunterWiSE was established in 2017 by seven extraordinary academics at the University of Newcastle, with the aim of increasing the number of women entering the STEM pipeline and retaining women pursuing careers in STEM industries and disciplines. One of its founders, Professor Anna Giacomini, was recently awarded a New South Wales Premier's Prize for Science and Engineering. Professor Giacomini has been working in rock mechanics and civil engineering for more than 20 years. She is particularly focused on improving safety of major transport and infrastructure networks along the coastline. Congratulations, Professor, we need you and many more extraordinary women like you working on those problems that persist for Australians—big, big projects.

And because it's never too early to actually get into science, I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the Little Scientists program, which runs in four preschools around Newcastle. I was thrilled to celebrate with KU Mayfield preschool when they became certified with Little Scientists in 2017. It's fantastic to see young children learn, through playing in mud and outdoor activities, about all the wonders and joys of our everyday world. They learn very quickly that science is just part of our everyday life, not some special category that only boys get to do and enjoy later in life. So I look forward to seeing a whole new generation of extraordinary women and girls coming up through the ranks to take on some of those big, big challenges for us as communities, for us as a global network.

So happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science this Saturday. I look forward to celebrating your astounding contributions to our nation.

Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ahead of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science this Saturday, 11 February, I'm pleased to stand today to join my colleagues in supporting the day, which aims to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in innovation, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I'd also like to commend the member for McPherson for the considerable work she undertook as the former Minister for Industry, Science and Technology in implementing policies to advance women in these fields.

The traditional thinking that girls simply do not perform as well as boys in maths and science is antiquated and untrue. The OECD's program for international student assessment in 2018 indicated that girls performed on a similar level to boys in maths and science but on a much higher level in reading and had stronger performance across humanities in general, which is perhaps the reason why females tend to pursue studies in these areas over STEM. With women making up only 36 per of enrolments in university STEM courses and just 16 per cent of enrolments in vocational STEM courses, the tide has been slow to turn. As the education system looks to how to further engage and encourage female students to pursue STEM subjects so, too, must the workplace. The Advancing Women in STEM report noted the following:

The causes of the inequality in STEM participation are broad, complex and long-standing. Cultural issues such as bias and stereotyping shape girls and women's views of STEM from an early age. STEM working environments, which are often male dominated and can have strongly hierarchical natures, can support a higher risk of issues such as sexual harassment.

In northern Tasmania, a female scientist recently shared with me the challenges she faced in the workplace that accurately represents some of the findings found in the coalition's report. A brilliant mind with a passion for her work, this constituent, who prefers to remain anonymous, battled what she called 'obstructive' and 'challenging' behaviour from male superiors, including being told, 'This is why we don't hire young females,' after suffering hyperemesis while pregnant. In another meeting, she spoke up for a colleague after it was openly discussed whether the colleague should be trained in X because 'she's at an age now where she will surely go off and have a family soon, so it wouldn't be a good investment'. While receiving support from some superiors, the discrimination faced by my constituent due to both of her gender and her disability as someone living with multiple sclerosis eventually led her to leave the job and the field entirely. I do know this would not be the experience of every female working in science but it's clearly not just the exception at this point and it perfectly illustrates why this year's theme of promoting equal access and participation of females in STEM is so important.

For local northern Tasmanians working in STEM or looking to pursue a career in the area, a fantastic group of women have growth created a group who call themselves the Launceston STEMinists. Comprising of geologists, viticulturalists, optometrists, natural science experts, physicists, technologists, science educators and PhD students, the group meets casually to discuss challenges and successes in working in the STEM field. Unfortunately, the experience of many of these women also highlights the lack of progress science and engineering fields have made in supporting women who also choose to have a family, acknowledging that stepping away to take maternity leave in these competitive fields risks coming back to less-than-desirable career options. And, while the support of other women is necessary, the STEMinists are spot-on when they discuss the importance of men taking on more active roles. 'It's not women who need to go to diversity lunches,' says geologist Claire Mawdesley.

In recent years, employers and organisations have been turning their minds to how to proactively support the pathways for girls and women looking to pursue studies and employment in these fields. In 2017, Science & Technology Australia launched Superstars of STEM, described as a game-changing initiative to smash gender assumptions about who can work in science, technology, engineering and maths. As part of the program, recipients receive training and development in using social media and gaining media coverage and speaking opportunities to share their work and inspire others to follow in their footsteps. One of the first superstars chosen was my own region's Dr Fiona Kerslake, a viticultural researcher and a member of the Launceston STEMinists. As a mum of a daughter, Dr Kerslake admitted that she's hopeful that the program will not be necessary when it comes to her own daughter choosing a career. 'I want her to go into any field and gender not be an issue,' Dr Kerslake said.

Finally, you can't be what you can't see. To all the women in STEM of today, thank you for paving the path for the women and girls that will follow.

Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the motion moved by the member for McPherson. I'd like to begin by thanking the honourable member for raising a topic that is so important. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on 11 February this year. The day gives recognition to the amazing contributions that women and girls have made and continue to make in science. But it also brings attention to the fact that, for far too long, far too few women have had the opportunity to make their mark in an industry which has not been as supportive or open to them as it traditionally has been for men. But this is beginning to change, and I say it's about time. I hope not only that days such as International Day of Women and Girls in Science can serve as a way to recognise what has been achieved by women; I also hope that they can act as an encouragement to all women, especially young girls, to go out and pursue whatever they are interested in and whatever they are passionate about. There should be no barriers to opportunities that are available to you.

Elizabeth Blackburn is just one example of an Australian woman who has made a significant impact in science and has helped shape the modern medical world. Elizabeth Blackburn made a scientific discovery far beyond my ability to comprehend that has significantly impacted cancer research and ageing research. She went on to win the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, making her the first Australian woman to do so. It is women like this that the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is all about, and I want to see more girls encouraged to go on and change the world, just like Elizabeth Blackburn did. This is part of making a better future for Australia.

Our world has advanced rapidly in recent decades, largely on the back of science. It's sad to think that, in this time, many women found it hard to have the chance to make their mark. Imagine how much our country and world will advance when we're harnessing the minds and intellect of all who have a passion and interest, without letting someone's gender have a say in whether or not their ideas are worthy. Opportunities for both men and women in all industries and all fields create opportunities for our country—opportunities for incredible advancements in health and technology, just to name a couple, and this means that we have the opportunity to build a better future. And it is this party, the Labor Party, and this Labor government who are champions of opportunity for women in this country. As everyone in this place would be aware, we have a record number of women on the front bench, and we are very proud to have had the first female Prime Minister, hopefully the first of many more to come over future decades. It's not only science that women have made amazing contributions to; it's also the fields of technology, engineering and mathematics, which they offer so much to.

As I've already mentioned many times in this place, I'm a proud father of Zoe and Asha. I want my girls, and all other girls and women, to have the same opportunities as anyone else in this country. In my first speech in this place, I promised that I would fight every day to make sure that we have a more equal and fair society to pass on to future generations. This includes the areas of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Women have made incredible contributions in all aspects of STEM. It is important to recognise and celebrate that. But it is also vital that we acknowledge the sad reality that women have been underrepresented in these areas and there are still huge improvements that need to be made, and I'm proud to be part of a government that is committed to equality for all.

Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to have this opportunity to recognise the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is coming up on Saturday 11 February, and the amazing contribution of Australian women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Of course, these play a major part in Tasmania and in the electorate of Lyons in particular, in the salmon industry, UTAS and the observatory in my electorate, and across agriculture and medicine. These are all really important fields.

The Albanese government is taking action to drive gender equality, including through supporting women in STEM. From the early days of our government, at the Jobs and Skills Summit, we have made clear that gender equality is an economic imperative, and this means ensuring that women and girls are benefiting from the STEM jobs that continue to emerge across our transitioning economy. In addition to targeted measures supporting women and girls in STEM, the government is developing a national strategy to achieve gender equality and to drive action on gender equality. The strategy will provide a road map for whole-of-community action to achieve gender equality and will act as a framework for changes to policy and budgeting processes required to drive it in Australia. Of course, the Albanese government is putting its money where its mouth is, investing $5.8 million in the October budget to support a more diverse STEM workforce. This includes funding to undertake a review of women in STEM programs to determine what's working and what's not so as to widen our talent pipeline.

It's frankly a disgrace that women make up only 16 per cent of people with STEM qualifications, and our government is determined to ensure that improves. Our review will help us find what works here and overseas and to find out where the gaps are to deliver a more diverse and representative STEM workforce. By widening the talent pipeline we will increase our share in the global economy, which will help us to address the skills shortage. The review will assist with the government's goal to achieve 1.2 million tech related workers by 2030. Our investment also includes $4.7 million to support oversubscribed programs for community and industry led projects, like the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship program, and research undertaken by the Women in STEM Ambassador.

In January 2023 Minister Husic announced $15.9 million in new WISE program grants for 17 projects that are supporting more women to study and build careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This builds on other important initiatives that seek to raise the profile of women in STEM, such as Science & Technology Australia's Superstars of STEM program and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering Elevate scholarships.

As we recognise the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Saturday and the amazing contribution of Australian women in the STEM field, I want to give a shout-out to the STEM for Girls organisation that's based in St Helens on the east coast of my electorate. STEM for Girls is a volunteer run organisation which aims to foster a robust STEM education that encourages girls and young women in the community to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers and the innovators of the upcoming generation. STEM for Girls runs workshops across a variety of STEM activities, including coding and programming, engineering, science investigations, computer hardware, maths problem-solving and modelling, food science technology and Lego robotics, just to name a few. At the end of last year STEM for Girls participated in Australia's First Lego League challenge, a robotics competition held around the world that promotes science, technology, engineering and maths. Samvrtha, Tahlea, Dolly and Jackson undertook research, problem-solving, coding and engineering tasks, building and programming a Lego robot, and they did a stellar job, with the team receiving the rising All-Star award, a fantastic achievement.

We know women are terribly underrepresented across STEM fields, and speakers today have enunciated some of the reasons and the impacts that has on women. Organisations like STEM for Girls play such an important role in our communities, providing opportunities for young women and girls to engage with STEM, showing them the possibilities and giving them confidence to potentially pursue further study and careers in fields which they might not have pursued otherwise and which are so important for both our culture and our economy in the years ahead.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.