Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

It is not just in the university research space that we are supporting capability building in innovation and science. It, of course, is comprehensive across areas of STEM development, led by our National STEM School Education Strategy, which is actually driving and enhancing take-up, supported by a $112 million boost to STEM skills, particularly focused on the early years—how it is we get that engagement from those very youngest and earliest learners, through programs like Little Scientists and Let's Count, which are reaching around 350,000 children across Australia. They are supported by Cracking the Code and computer challenges in years 5 and 7; new STEM summer schools; MOOCs such as the University of Adelaide's new MOOC providing greater support for teachers of science students in years 6, 7 and 8; as well as our investment in new PhD internships with the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, to give greater capacity for 1,400 industry PhD internships to skill more Australians. (Time expired)