Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Canavan, and I thank Senator McAllister for that question earlier on, which got the response it deserved, which gave me the opportunity to get up and get this question answered.

As Senator Canavan well knows, children living in regional Australia do not have regular access to facilities like Sydney's Powerhouse or Canberra's Questacon that can instil and inspire a love of science, technology, engineering and maths. Last month, hundreds of children got to experience science in action when the Shell Questacon Science Circus went to regional New South Wales. Throughout the program's 30-year history, more than 2.2 million Australians have experienced the science circus, through school excursions or public exhibition. I am sure that Senator Canavan will be pleased to know the science circus includes slime, bubbles, fire, liquid nitrogen and beds of nails, to involve students in fun, accessible demonstrations that show science is important and relevant to everyone's lives. With attractions like slime, bubbles, fire, liquid nitrogen and beds of nails, it might have been cheaper to give these kids observer status at the forthcoming national ALP conference.

One of the mothers, Sally White said, 'I think that it is really important for the kids, especially to see the hands-on approach to learning about science. It could be something that stays with them when they continue to learn about science in the future.' Indeed, instilling a love of science at a young age ensures that we nurture our future entrepreneurs. (Time expired)