Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on these appropriation bills and acknowledge the coalition government's commitment to rewarding and recognising pioneering visionaries. In a recent address to the Harvard Club in New York, our foreign minister Julie Bishop outlined who we are as Australians—why and how we are innovators. She mentioned some of the bright young minds making their mark in New York. She spoke of the way Australians embrace every opportunity and are always looking for a way to do something different to get ahead, to inspire, to motivate, to do.

No-one can dispute the fact that Australians are doers. We take every opportunity given to us and do not believe in the word impossible. There is something about Australian minds. We think like no others, possibly because we have always had to be inventive. When white settlers first came to this land they found everything to be a struggle. European crops were not suitable; the weather vastly different. Everything was different, even the homes we lived in, but we found ways to survive. We used ingenuity and developed the strong work ethic Australians are known for today. People continue to come to Australia to make new lives for themselves. The Australian story is an inspiring story and it attracts people from all over the world. Australia is known as a country of opportunity.

If our ancestors managed to make better lives in a distant and isolated land, it should come as no surprise that nothing is beyond the ability of Australian inventors. That is why some of the most remarkable and beneficial inventions in the past century have been created by Australians. Let me start with something less serious but nonetheless innovative: Felix the cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat. Felix was a marketing phenomenon years before Mickey Mouse and his friend Walt Disney arrived on the scene and was for a time the most popular cartoon character in the world. The producer behind the animated cartoon was Australian Pat Sullivan. It seems surprising that it was an Australian, not an American, who was responsible for this Hollywood success story, but Australian ingenuity has a very long history. In the 1850s, James Harrison was the first person to invent and patent a mechanical machine for making ice. He invented the refrigerator, in Geelong. The inventions kept coming: solar hot water, the black box, Google maps, spray-on skin, the electronic pacemaker, the ultrasound.

Medical innovation seems to be a particular speciality for Australian minds. In the 1940s Howard Florey, from Adelaide, developed a way for penicillin to be manufactured and processed so it could be used to treat infections in humans. The ultrasound scanner, invented by Australians David Robinson and George Kossoff in the 1960s, has helped ease the anxiety of so many expectant parents. The cochlear implant, invented by Professor Graeme Clark in the 1970s, has made a difference to so many lives.

Australians as a whole are inventive people; Queenslanders also often lead the way. I have the privilege of being the member for the electorate of Ryan. My electorate is not only home to some amazing minds but also a hub for research and development in many different specialties. The innovations developed in Ryan in just the past few decades have changed the lives of literally millions of people all over the world. Ryan is home to the University of Queensland, CSIRO's Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies, the cooperative research centres for ore and mining, and Life Sciences Queensland. All of these facilities contribute to the advancements in science and technology we are seeing every day.

I am very proud of the achievements of the University of Queensland. Not only is it ranked No. 85 in the top universities in the world but it produces and supports some of the best scientists, researchers and academics. This includes 2006 Australian of the Year and inventor of the cervical cancer vaccine, Professor Ian Frazer. Professor Frazer began research for the vaccine Gardasil in the mid-eighties and by 2006 it was made available worldwide. Since then, Gardasil has been used to vaccinate millions of women in 120 countries against the human papillomavirus, HPV, that causes cervical cancer. Cervical cancer kills more than 275,000 women a year and is the second-most common cause of cancer in women. Thanks to Professor Frazer and his team, this will not be the case for future generations. Professor Frazer, originally from Scotland, called Australia the land of opportunity. He said of his decision to come to Brisbane in the early eighties: 'Brisbane was a growing city with a growing opportunity to conduct medical research. I've not been disappointed over the last 25 years.' He is currently conducting phase 2 trials for a herpes simplex vaccine and developing a skin cancer vaccine.

The University of Queensland continues to attract great minds. One of the more recent inventions is the Nanopatch. Developed by Professor Mark Kendall, Nanopatch technology for vaccine delivery is undergoing clinical trials this year. The technology, smaller than the size of a postage stamp, is needle-free and painless. It will be invaluable to the health of people all over the world, particularly in Third World countries, as it is easily transportable and requires no refrigeration. It is also far more cost effective than traditional syringe methods, as there is no need for expensive disposal. Professor Brian Lovell and his team have created the world's first real-time facial recognition software. It is being used in security, military and immigration areas internationally. He is currently working to implement software for the bionic eye. Professor Maree Smith's pain relief research has seen her develop patented novel analgesics to target neuropathic pain, which is a type of nerve pain that affects more than 1.5 million people worldwide. These are just a few of the innovators, inventors and creators who are working on remarkable inventions and making incredible discoveries at the University of Queensland. I know that due to the solid reputation and record of the University of Queensland there will be much more to come.

The people in my electorate of Ryan are looking for a hand up, not a hand out. That is why our government has given the University of Queensland more than half a billion dollars in funding to make sure that ingenuity and innovation can continue to be fostered. This funding is not just aimed at the university itself. Developing great minds takes special teachers, so we contributed $75,000 to the Australian Awards for University Teaching to help recognise these exceptional educators. We also gave up to $141,000 towards Endeavour scholarships, so that Australians can acquire a broad depth of knowledge from all over the world. The Australian Research Council provided more than $67 million to the University of Queensland to help fund research and development; Professor Kendall was a beneficiary for his Nanopatch technology among other research programs. In 2013, the University of Queensland received more Australian Research Council funding than any other Australian university or research body.

However, at the University of Queensland they do not rely purely on government funding. They also source their own funding from private donors and attract the attention of international investors. Their reputation precedes them and draws in international sponsors who respect their work. In 2009, philanthropist Chuck Feeney donated $102 million dollars for Queensland medical research. The University of Queensland was one of the beneficiaries. This was the largest single donation ever made in Australia. In fact, Mr Feeney's Atlantic Philanthropies has donated more than $100 million towards research at the University of Queensland since 1998. This funding has gone towards establishing the Queensland Brain Institute, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research. Another one of the University of Queensland's major donors is Wotif founder Graeme Wood. Graham donated $15 million towards UQ's Global Change Institute in 2011. The $32 million, six-green-star Living Building, a 'flagship for sustainability', is naturally ventilated, has solar panels, stores up to 60 thousand litres of rainwater and generates more energy than it consumes.

There are many more outstanding projects I could speak about, with the $44 million in philanthropic funding they received last year alone, but there is much more in the electorate of Ryan. CSIRO's Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies is situated in Ryan and some of the research and development coming out of there is truly remarkable. It is Australia's largest integrated research and development precinct and research covers robotics, automation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, casting processes, mining science and engineering, and improvement of iron ore processing. The Cooperative Research Centre for Ore and the Cooperative Research Centre for Mining, based in Pinjarra Hills, have developed a water powered drill that will revolutionise the way we can mine coal seam gas. Ultimately, this drill will eliminate fracking.

Another organisation committed to developing and supporting science and research in my electorate is Life Sciences Queensland. The organisation provide leadership, organisation and growth opportunities for their members, enabling them to work together and complement each other—important in the fields of research and development. Their members come from all aspects of the life sciences, including human health, animal health and agriculture, and environmental, industrial and marine biotechnology.

These examples of innovation and leading-edge organisations in Ryan give just a small snapshot of the way Australians are making their mark on the world. We are creating, designing and inventing and, in the process, changing the world. Because of an Australian, cervical cancer will no longer be the huge killer it is today. Because of an Australian, those who were born without hearing will grow up surrounded by noise. Because of an Australian, an infection does not mean death.

As a government it is our job to encourage these innovations—to foster and support these great minds. I want to recognise the Minister for Education, the Hon. Christopher Pyne, for acknowledging and rewarding these amazing minds through grants and funding, and also for working towards creating a future that will facilitate more competitive and comprehensive universities, to allow Australians to aim even higher and achieve even better outcomes. I also want to acknowledge the Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon. Ian Macfarlane, not only for the more than $7 billion worth of industry program grants distributed in just the past year in Ryan but also for taking the time to actually come out and meet with these organisations face to face and, importantly, for his ongoing support.

The coalition government is dedicated to maintaining Australia's reputation as a country of innovators. We have cut red tape. We have provided billions of dollars in funding. We are determined to promote and encourage these great minds. We want to build on their passion to make a difference in the world. These Australians are not only leading world innovators but inspiring others to do the same. As an isolated and relatively young country, we are batting above our weight and standing out as intelligent and savvy innovators who are contributing to the technological and scientific advancements of the world.

The coalition government wants to ensure support for these innovators. We do not believe in stifling creativity. We want to reward ingenuity. That is why we are focused on cutting red tape. Repeal days are about ensuring these creative minds are never held back because of minor restrictions or paperwork. It is evident our government is doing everything possible to foster and support our great minds. I am proud of our government's commitment to supporting the advancements I have spoken of today. These appropriation bills are about funding for a strong and stable government. We need the best minds possible to ensure our future as a leading country, and this can be achieved by continuing to support these visionaries, who provide life-changing and life-saving innovations.

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