Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

I regard this as a fact that ought to be celebrated. Scientists like Professor Schmidt, who was raised in Alaska and is now an Australian citizen, prove that Australia can attract and retain great scientific talent of the very highest calibre. He undertook work that could only ever be done in Australia and he is a testament to the infrastructure, the collaborations and the opportunities that we offer the global scientific community in this country. This is at the heart of our vision for Australian research, because research is very much a global business. With less than half a per cent of the world's population, we produce some three per cent of the world's new research. That is a contribution that we leverage so we are able to access the other 97 per cent and Australian scientists can stay very much at the forefront of progress. That is where we must remain if we are to bring the benefits of new technologies to Australia. (Time expired)