Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable senator from Western Australia for her question, her great support for innovation and the work she does on the ground with innovators in Western Australia. The government announced, of course, this National Innovation and Science Agenda on 7 December last year as part of our broader aim of promoting jobs and growth, and this year, Mr President, I predict—I fearlessly predict—you will hear a lot about jobs and growth, because that is the framework which will encompass the policies of this government. We are putting together an agenda in innovation and science which will foster an ecosystem—a series of measures which will make us have a sustainable innovation system going forward. It comprises four pillars. There are four pillars—not three, not seven but four pillars: culture and capital, collaboration, talent and skills, and government as an exemplar.

Culture and capital involves measures around tax to promote investing in start-ups and early-stage capital. It involves collaboration where we bring together researchers, universities, industries and investors, because the best sort of innovation is when you bring those disparate skills together so that they can collaborate to promote commercialisation within Australia of great Australian ideas. We will promote talent and skills through measures to promote greater take-up of science, technology, engineering and maths in schools, including addressing the lack of diversity in some of those classes, particularly where women in STEM are concerned. Part of this will also be to promote the entrepreneurs visa to bring bright people from all around the world to Australia to share their ideas—people who want to invest in Australia.