Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too would like to thank the member for Higgins for bringing attention to National Science Week. In Lindsay, I am particularly committed to ensuring that our children have an understanding and a commitment to science and technology. This is very much a priority.

I was recently joined by the Minister for Education to launch the Lindsay Jobs of the Future Network. We were joined by local school, industry and business representatives to discuss how we can ensure that our local children are being educated in the jobs of the future. These are the many thousands of jobs that will be coming to Western Sydney as part of the development of the Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport and the development of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis—jobs in science and technology, in advanced manufacturing and in agribusiness. Western Sydney will be the heart of Australia's advanced manufacturing industry. I want to make sure that our local kids are being educated in those jobs now—in time for the airport's opening in 2026, when they'll be looking and thinking about their future careers.

The Minister for Science and Innovation joined me to launch the Girls in STEM Toolkit. We got great insights right in Western Sydney at a great high school called Jamison High School. We met with the principal and joined students from grades 8 to 10 to launch the toolkit, which aims to build girls' confidence in STEM subjects in schools and also to look at what jobs they might do in the future. We were also able to view their other STEM activities in the school, such as drones and four-wheel drive challenges.

The Minister for Education and I also visited a local public school, Samuel Terry Public School. I was so impressed with their incredibly talented students and the work that they're doing in STEM and robotics, using Lego robotics, at a young age. Kids across Western Sydney, in primary schools and in high schools, are learning more about science and technology, engineering and mathematics. These are the critical industries that do make up the jobs of the future.

Importantly, we also visited my alumni university, Western Sydney University, and visited Launch Pad, which is providing opportunities for young entrepreneurs across Western Sydney to develop their science and technology ideas and get them into the marketplace. I was particularly impressed with Aquacell, who are developing wastewater treatment and water recycling systems. They got their start in Western Sydney and now their services are being used in Silicon Valley and across the United States. They are a great story about science and technology in Western Sydney.

Having worked in the university sector at the US Studies Centre, I know how important it is to have a great science industry in Australia and to learn from our friends in the United States. I would like to acknowledge Professor Susan Pond for the work that she's doing in Australia to address some of our most challenging issues around science and for the work she's doing to get more young girls and women interested in and involved in science and technology.

Increasing science, technology, engineering and maths capabilities are at the core of the Morrison government's science agenda, as set out in the National Science Statement. That's why National Science Week is so important. Applying STEM knowledge and skills has many benefits for local and global economies, like better quality health care, more efficient services and systems, and better decision-making in government and industry. Science aims to encourage an interest in pursuits amongst the general public. Science Week does this and encourages our young students, like those I saw right across the week in Western Sydney in my electorate of Lindsay. The Morrison government is backing National Science Week with funding of $6.8 million each year.

There were 1.5 million people who participated in National Science Week this year, across 2,077 events. Ensuring all Australians can be engaged in science is absolutely a priority of the government, as is ensuring that more girls get interested and confident in science and technology at a young age. And for me, in Lindsay, it's around ensuring that our local kids are being educated for jobs of the future.

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