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"ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB OF AUSTRALIA"

COMPERE: Today at the National Press Club, the Federal Minister for Science Julie Bishop. Ms Bishop will launch National Science Week which this year coincides with the eightieth anniversary of the CSIRO. It comes as the Government's again caught up in a debate over the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. Live from the National Press Club in Canberra, Science Minister Julie Bishop.

CHAIR: Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to the National Press Club and today's National Australia Bank Address. And it's a great pleasure to welcome back Julie Bishop to make today's address and to launch the - this year's Australian Science Festival. Julie Bishop is of course the Minister for Education, Science and Technology with the emphasis today on - on what? - on the science part. She's previously Minister for Ageing of course and has been for the past three terms of the Parliament Member for Curtin in Western Australia. Please welcome Julie Bishop.

[Applause]

JULIE BISHOP: In 1768 one James Cook, a Lieutenant in the British Navy set sail in the Endeavour at the request of the Royal Society in Britain to the South Pacific to map the transit of Venus and to partially map the land known as Terra Australis. On board were naturalists and botanists including one Joseph Banks and he collected and described our extraordinary flora and fauna. On return to England Banks planted our extraordinary collection of plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Later it was Joseph Banks who suggested to the British Government that New South Wales could be a place for a convict colony. And so it transpires that Australia is probably the only nation in the modern world that was established at the suggestion of a scientist after a scientific expedition.

Australia maintains a high standing in the international science community and it's often said that Australian science punches above its weight. For example Australia has the highest number of Nobel Prizewinners per capita in the world. From the father and son team of William and Lawrence Bragg who won the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics to Robin Warren and Barry Marshall who ninety years later won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Australia has produced many eminent researchers and scientists.

We're regarded as a world leader in important areas of scientific research including immunology, astronomy, and environmental science. We are a nation that depends on innovation to underpin our prosperity. The world today is driven by the exponential growth in human knowledge. Australia must continue to exploit new knowledge, to adopt innovative ideas and harness technologies to maintain our quality of life, both social and economic.

Today, I want to focus on the future of science and scientific research and talk about what we need to do to ensure that Australia maintains its economic growth and its global competitiveness.

You all know that under Backing Australia's Ability, that initiative, the Government invested some 8.3 Billion dollars over the ten year period 2001 to 2011.

Recently I outlined several capabilities that I believe are critical to our future.

The first was global engagement. We need to be globally engaged, identify our strengths and build on them through strategic partnerships with our countries and I've discussed what we can do to be part of big science projects in a global context.

Quality research. We need to pursue new ways to boost the quality and impact of our research to keep it on par with the world's best and I've discussed the work that's been done on a new research quality framework.

World class infrastructure. We need to provide our researchers with the infrastructure that places them at the cutting edge of scientific discovery and later this year I'll be announcing some successful bids for our national infrastructure strategy, a 550 Million dollar - a 540 Million dollar initiative for big scientific infrastructure.

Connected industries and communities. We need to connect science and research and education with our industries and communities so that Australia captures the maximum benefit from its investment in research and development and I've discussed issues like the achievements of our co-operative research centres.

And finally, and this is what I will focus on today. Competitive skills. We need to strengthen and grow our skills through the provision of quality education at all levels.

So today, as we celebrate National Science Week I'll speak on the foundation of Australia's science capability, our human capital, our students, our teachers, our researchers, our scientists, our collective brain power. In particular I want to suggest how we can develop a strong and internationally competitive skills science base for Australia, through a renewed focus on science in our education system and society.

Now I've been concerned by emerging evidence that Australia's science, engineering and technology skills base is softening. And at the very time that other countries particularly in our region are strengthening their capabilities in these areas.

The findings of the Science Engineering and Technology Skills Audit that I released recently suggest a number of challenges lie before us in building our intellectual stocks to meet the demands of the coming decades.

In particular the Audit forecast that Australia's supply in key science engineering technology areas may not be sufficient to meet future demand. Now, projected demand for science skills suggests that we'll need an additional 55,000 professionals by 2013, with supply likely to fall short by some thirty-five percent. Now some will challenge those predictions but our booming economy, particularly in mining and resources is highlighting the need for skills in these areas. But the Audit's findings of static or declining participation rates in science, engineering, technology studies, coupled with concerns about the quality of science engineering and technology education and career path is a worry.

While current Year 12 participation in science courses for example, have remained static in recent years at about a hundred and forty-five thousand or a hundred and forty-six thousand, that's a substantial decrease from the highs of earlier years of about a hundred and eighty thousand. And just who will be our future researchers, future scientists, our future Nobel Prizewinners?

For there is also evidence that we're not attracting our best students into the science discipline. Analysis of tertiary entrance rankings for Australian universities in 2004 indicate that while for prestige subjects such as law or medicine, the bottom ten percent of entrants had an entry score of about eighty-six percent. In chemistry the bottom ten percent of students had a substantially lower entrance score of about sixty-seven percent.

We must not replace meritocracy with mediocrity. Clearly there is much more that needs to be done if we're to attract our best and brightest students into science and focus that brain power into boosting science contribution to Australia's future growth and prosperity. And we're certainly not harnessing our full range of potential among our young people.

A 2004 survey of Senior High Schools in Victoria showed that for every girl choosing to study physics, more than three boys were taking the subject. In the specialist maths subject it was almost two boys for every girl. However, girls out performed boys in results particularly at the upper end of the achievement scale. And that's the experience across other States. So girls have the talent, they just need the opportunity.

I'll explore initiatives that will lead to the advancement of girls in science, maths and technology including convening a symposium in Canberra later this year, maybe early next year, with some of our leading female scientists, leading female researchers to look at ways of mentoring and encouraging young women into these areas. A symposium for the advancement of young women in science, maths, technology.

The growth and development of our human capacity in science and innovation begins in our schools. It continues in our universities and further education and finally bears fruit in our research institutions and industry. The challenge comes in supporting each of these areas, nurturing our people and facilitating and building connections between them.

We must focus on three areas.

Quality education, rewarding careers and public awareness and engagement with science.

As to the first. In international assessments of science learning, the results of Australian students are encouraging. While our top students are among the best, the absolute best in the world, we shouldn't be blind to the fact that there exists a long tail of students whose performance is way below that we should expect. There is no room for complacency.

So where do we start?

Early childhood experts tell me that the vast majority of brain development occurs in the early years by the time the child is five years old.

Australian pre-schools should provide the kind of learning experiences for very young Australians that will stimulate their curiosity about the way the world works. Expose them to the joy of discovery and sow the seeds of a life long interest in science.

Science teaching and learning in primary schools needs to be fun and engaging and providing many, many opportunities for investigation of the world and its wonders. There is too little science taught in primary schools.

Research in 2001 and again in 2004 found that primary school students across Australia have largely been missing out on science education with less than an hour a week on average devoted to science learning. There must be more and it must be done well.

The drop off rates among junior secondary students choosing science must also be addressed. Senior secondary students need to have an improved understanding of the value of scientific knowledge and be encouraged to choose science and to study science.

We need a substantial number of bright young Australians undertaking science studies at advanced levels at universities and pursuing careers in research and development.

So first we need to improve the teaching and learning of science in Australian schools.

I announced recently a project to develop an Australian Schools Science Education Framework to map key school science initiatives across Australia, including existing programmes in the States and Territories, in order to identify the gaps and recommend actions to improve science education. The success of this project will require significant commitment from all jurisdictions and I will work to achieve agreement from State and Territory Education Ministers.

The Government's already instigated a range of investments and initiatives to support and improve and enliven science education in our schools. One of these initiatives is to promote higher standards in our schools through an explicit focus on curriculum.

We are requiring State and Territory governments to implement Statements of Learning in a number of core subjects including science and maths with common testing standards in these subject areas. The Statements being developed in conjunction with the States and Territories describe the key knowledge, the skills, the understandings and capacities that all students should acquire in science, maths and the other subject areas. Irrespective of where they attend a school. Irrespective of the State in which they live. This will promote consistency in the quality and delivery of science education in all Australian schools and this is a major policy objective of the Government.

It's important that our efforts to provide a high quality science education for our young people extends to all levels of education.

The Australian Academy of Science and the Department of Education, Science and Training have been working together on an initiative called Primary Connections, linking science with literacy. Australian Government funding of nearly 5 Million dollars was provided to develop and trial and implement a package of professional learning and curriculum resources for primary teachers. The curriculum resources are based on science concepts that enable students to develop knowledge and understanding and skills in science and literacy simultaneously. Allowing for a more efficient use of time and resources in the classroom.

Evaluation of primary connections is showing substantial improvement in increased teacher confidence and belief in their ability to teach science effectively, improved learning in science and literacy, positive responses from both teachers and students to more science being taught in their classrooms and importantly improved student performance in science.

And I can confirm today that following the successful trial I'm providing a further 3 Million dollars for the further development and implementation of primary connections.

So primary connections will strengthen the teaching of science in primary schools including those important early childhood years, enthuse students and hopefully reinvigorate teachers.

I hope that within two or three years the majority, if not all of Australia's primary schools, will be using this initiative.

Through the Australian School Innovation and Science Technology and Maths Project the Government's providing significant funding for schools, clusters and their partners including tertiary education institutions and science and industry organisations to develop innovative approaches and to improve the teaching and learning of science, technology and mathematics in Australian schools. And already around two hundred really exciting and innovative projects have been funded to date.

I mean there're projects like web and tele conferencing to link geographically isolated schools in Western Australia, particularly in the Broome region. A project to develop a curriculum to improve the retention of girls in Year 11 and 12 physics at a Melbourne school. To provide students with work experience in science and technology. So these projects are all having an impact.

Today, I'm announcing 7 Million dollars in funding for a third round of these projects, bringing the total funding for the initiative to more than 23 Million dollars.

This science, technology and maths initiative has encouraged really lively and successful partnerships between schools and other organisations and strong links have been established between schools and thirty-five of Australia's universities.

So I'm encouraging schools and universities to maintain and build on these links to strengthen students' interest in science and technology studies.

With an unacceptably high rate of opting out of science studies during early years of high school, we need to engage and excite young people about science in the Junior secondary years to inspire them to continue their studies. Now it seems that every brilliant researcher or scientist can point to a teacher who inspired them.

I've had this conversation with our Chief Scientist, Jim Peacock. They can point to a teacher who inspired them in their study of science and a great science teacher can have a profound and inspiring influence on hundreds of young Australians. I've spoken to many people who report choosing vocations and careers due to the influence of a passionate and compelling teacher. And it's those qualities we must foster among our science teachers.

Sir Howard Florey, our 1945 Nobel Prizewinner, arguably our greatest Nobel Laureate given the impact of his work in bringing the life saving miracle of penicillin to the world, identified his chemistry teacher, Sneaker Thompson as his early inspiration. Incidentally, Sneaker had also sparked the intellect of our youngest ever Nobel Laureate winner, Lawrence Bragg some years earlier.

I firmly believe the single most important aspect of improving science education is the ongoing provision of quality teachers.

I've commissioned the Australian Academy of Science in collaboration with CSIRO and my Department to undertake a scoping project to investigate ways of improving the teaching and learning of science in junior secondary schools. The project, called Science by Doing, will examine research from around the world and also consult with the Australian Science Teachers Association, Deans of Education, State and Territory Education Authorities and other stakeholders to see how we can better engage junior secondary students more actively in science through problem solving and enquiry based classroom activity. Improve science learning.

Attracting and retaining good teachers in all schools, but particularly rural and remote and certain metropolitan locations where there are emerging shortages of physics and chemistry teachers is also an important issue.

There'll be a need for greater flexibility in the system to allow people with relevant skills to make a contribution to the education of our young people. Now that may take the form of advisory teachers or adjunct teachers, people who've got specialist knowledge and can provide advice and support to existing teachers.

The pool of people with knowledge about say chemistry and physics and science will need to be expanded and tapped effectively and with creativity if we're going to achieve the goal of a high quality science education for Australian school students.

In order to fix a problem you need a diagnosis.

I've engaged the Australian Council for Educational Research to conduct a major Australian survey of school teachers and school leaders during October and November of this year. It'll help assess the nature of anticipated turnovers and shortages in the profession. Some forty percent of graduates from our teaching courses do not go into the public education system. Twenty percent of graduates go into the private education system. So our Government schools are missing out on some sixty percent of graduates from teaching courses.

This project will also provide advice on longer term approaches to regular consistent and reliable gathering of data and analysis to better inform teacher workforce planning nationally.

Turning to career paths.

Albert Einstein is reported to have once said that science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.

Now times, it seems, haven't changed much. I am concerned by evidence that suggests a career in science is often poorly understood and poorly undervalued. We need to ensure that students are given information about the range of opportunities in science and engineering and technology fields. Show casing the diversity and richness of science and technology careers is a large undertaking and the entire community must take up this challenge, not only Government. But my Department, the Department of Education, Science and Training, is hosting a forum next Wednesday with industry and educators and other interest groups to discuss this very issue. How to encourage students to continue with science that is beyond Year 10? And how to effectively inform students about the career opportunities that result from senior science studies.

To attract our brightest young people into science studies and eventually science careers, there needs to be more clearly defined and rewarding career paths for our scientists at all levels. These career paths need to be comparable with the many other options that are available to our young people.

And our young scientists need role models to demonstrate the careers in science can be long term. They can be international. And today, I take this opportunity to announce that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANSTO will offer two new researcher Fellowship positions worth up to 250 Thousand dollars per annum. These Fellowships are intended to attract top international researchers from across the country, from overseas, attract somebody back from overseas, to coincide with the commissioning of its new OPAL Medical Research Reactor and the state of the art neutron beam instruments. It's expected to be one of the top three facilities of its type in the world and is already attracting interest from Australian researchers as well as from international researchers.

So this'll boost our capacity in nuclear physics and help attract young scientists. ANSTO already boasts an outstanding young woman scientist, Jasmine Crawford Hill. Now she will be one of the youngest women, perhaps one of the only women in the world to operate a nuclear research reactor when the OPAL facility comes on line.

To build on linkages between educational institutions and the science sector, I'm also going to take the opportunity this afternoon to announced seven new research clusters formed under the 97 Million dollar CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Fund.

The Flagship Collaboration Fund supports increased collaborative research between universities, the CSIRO and other publicly funded research agencies, including ANSTO. It funds joint research projects and larger clusters as well as visiting Fellowships and Post-Graduate Scholarships. Collaboration is a crucial feature of the CSIRO Flagships and these clusters provide a mechanism for CSIRO to join in partnership with other institutions and to work co-operatively on significant three year research programmes.

This brings me to the third area that I see as critical in building our human capital in science and technology.

We need to value and celebrate the achievements of our scientists, our science teachers and our science students. Value them as a nation. We need to continue to promote science awareness and appreciation on a broad front, bringing it not just into our classrooms but into our communities.

Australians should know as much about the achievements of our Nobel Prizewinners as they do about our Olympians. We are beginning to see some progress in this regard.

This year I was delighted to see the trials and triumphs of the 2005 Biology Olympiad through the four part ABC TV documentary series aptly title Battle of the Brain. Now they tell me that some three million viewers tuned in to watch the series. Not quite as many as the recent World Cup Soccer coverage but it's a significant level of community interest in the efforts of some of our brightest young students who competed in international science competitions overseas.

It's not enough for the community to simply appreciate science. It's quite often just through their quirky stories that are presented through the media. People also need to better understand its relevance and the implications and impacts that developments in science have for their everyday lives. People need to understand the persuasive nature of the influence of science. It effects virtually every aspect of our lives. New technology, entertainment products, our Ipods, foods, medicines and materials used in clothing have all been developed by scientists. It's essential that we build on the strength we have so that we're at the cutting edge of scientific discovery and innovation. We must be competitive on the global stage.

Our school students, our scientists, our industries, our universities and our communities all have a role to play in this vital process and that is why we celebrate Australian science this week through National Science Week.

Over the next ten days Australians will experience the wonders of science in libraries, in shopping centres, on-line, in the city, in the bush. With over five hundred events show casing science and innovation.

National Science Week is our biggest celebration of Australian science and its success comes from grass roots community involvement. Since the 1997 pilot, an estimated two million Australians have participated in events and activities across Australia supported by about a 1.2 Million dollars Australian Government contribution.

During National Science Week last year there was a Science Quiz for the national project and the first prize for last year's competition was Win a Day with a Scientist and the winner was granted the opportunity to spend a day with a scientist choosing from nine different researchers in places as far flung as Darwin, Hobart or the Dish at Parkes. And the winner, a nine year old called Danielle from Victoria, chose to go out on a whale research ship in Freemantle. This year the national project is the national memory test and I recommend that each of you go to the Science Week website and give it a go - www.nationalmemorytest.net.au and the site has got a section called the Forgetfulness Forum. Could be another name for Question Time - where people list embarrassing examples of memory lapses. I'm not going to offer any personal examples but the National Memory Test website does include an explanation of how memory works and offers tips for improving it. So I recommend it to you.

So ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be part of our celebration to recognise the achievements of our science and scientists and to launch National Science Week and the Fourteenth Australian Science Festival. And could I ask Adam from All Saints School in Western Australia to come up and receive the poster to celebrate the launch.

[Applause]

CHAIR: Thank you Minister. We have the usual period of media questions now and the first one today is from Elizabeth Bellamy.

QUESTION: Good afternoon Minister. My question I guess relates to the issue of science education particularly sort of in the junior school environment. You mentioned some research before which had shown I think that primary school students were receiving sort of only forty-one minutes of science tuition a week which compared to sort of several hundred minutes of say literacy tuition that they were receiving. I guess part of the issue with that is probably down to sort of curriculum structuring and resources for schools and all that sort of stuff, but I guess there's been a lot of other research recently which has shown that science education for teachers is somewhat lacking and that's been affecting their confidence levels in teaching the subject. I know you mentioned the ACER project that you were commissioning before, but are you suggesting sort of changes to teacher education or some kind of incentive or scholarship scheme that would perhaps rectify that at all or?

JULIE BISHOP: There are a number of options that I am considering in relation to this matter. I think we need to start with the research. Let's get the data and then there are a range of initiatives that I could consider to work with State and Territory governments, work with universities, to first improve the retention rates of science teachers, to improve the number of students undertaking science teaching courses and to encourage students to take them up and as I said it comes back every time to an inspiring quality teacher. So I think that's where we should be focusing our efforts and I hope you'll hear more from me in that regard.

CHAIR: The next question's from Stephanie Peatling.

QUESTION: Hi, Stephanie Peatling from The Sydney Morning Herald, Minister. Glad you mentioned Captain Cook at the beginning of your speech, 'cause it makes my question seems like I'm not totally ignoring your speech you just gave. But the National History Forum that you're going to convene next week. When Brendan Nelson, your predecessor, went on a similar campaign to increase [indistinct] education in schools, he announced his programme of flag poles for every school as part of the way to stimulate students' interest. I guess I'm just wondering if you have any thoughts of programmes you might offer of a similar nature to students in Australian schools to stimulate their interest in history? And if you'll be discussing this next week and what other ideas you have for some sort of common curriculum across the country in this area?

JULIE BISHOP: The reason we are holding a History Summit next week is because of the concern, not only expressed by me and expressed by the Prime Minister, but by a range of historians, history educators and commentators that Australian history has lost its place in a very crowded curriculum. Now I appreciate that today I'm talking about science taking a, a greater place in the school curriculum. It's all about getting the balance right and getting the fundamentals right. What is it that we want our students to know and to learn at school? And Australian history, I believe is a critical part of a student's learning experience. I can't imagine many other countries around the world where the teaching of their national story, their national history is regulated to the point where it's not even taught in some schools and in some States. So it's an essential part of a young person's educational experience surely. It's their story. It's about their community, their society and if we want our students to be better informed citizens and participants in our society then they need to understand our nation's past so they can better understand the present and better plan for the future. In terms of national curricula, I spoke about the statements of learning. We've also got a study under way by ACER, a comparative study of Year 12 subjects, what is being taught in Year 12 across the country, in maths and science and Australian history and english and the results of that study should be available by the end of this year and so that will enable us to be better informed about what is being taught and how and perhaps what should be taught and why.

CHAIR: The next question's from Jewel Topsfield.

QUESTION: Jewel Topsfield from The Age Minister. You've talked about reducing the number of traditional public universities from thirty-seven to about twelve. I was wondering why you thought this was necessary and where you might see any mergers occurring?

JULIE BISHOP: I've pointed out previously that this country of some twenty million people has thirty-seven comprehensive public universities, three private universities, and one foreign university. I expect that there will be more foreign universities being established in Australia. My point is that our universities have been pushed into a model since the Dawkin's reforms where they've had to be all things to all students. Comprehensive universities all undertaking teaching and scholarship and research in essentially the same broad array of subjects, and I believe the Dawkin reforms are over. We can no longer afford, nor do we have the academic capacity to provide the highest quality educational experience across thirty-seven comprehensive public universities. Now I suggest that universities themselves will want to diversify, will want to play to strengths, will want to focus on being excellent in specific fields and reduce the duplication that currently occurs across the country. I now believe I have bipartisan support for this approach.

CHAIR: Next question's from Adrian Rollins.

QUESTION: Hi Minister, Adrian Rollins from the Australian Financial Review. I was just wondering, you mentioned before about the way students might choose their future courses and careers and what you thought about the choices they make being driven by anticipated future earnings and that anticipation heightened by concerns about the size of the, of the debts that students can accumulate during studies, and what really I suppose - what effect the anticipated future earnings have on course choices and what effect things like student fees might have on directing those choices as well?

JULIE BISHOP: There's no evidence to suggest that the student contribution fees are effecting students' choice of taking up particular courses in the sense that universities that increase their student contribution fees still had, were over-subscribed and universities that didn't increase their student contribution fees didn't see an increase in student numbers. So I don't think there's a compelling case to suggest that it's the student contribution fee. And also that system, our student contribution system is income contingent. It's an interest free loan that doesn't have to be paid up front and the repayment kicks in through the taxation system and it's not until a graduate's earning something like 38 Thousand dollars that the Tax Office will start to seek repayment. I think that the choice of career or choice of subject is largely defined by a student's understanding of the career path and I believe that that's where we need to focus on giving people examples of the types of careers that are available. Last night I met with twenty-two young apprentices who have been selected as the top apprentices across Australia and they were visiting Canberra and each one of them told me that they had no idea of the range and diversity of trades that would be available to them if they undertook an apprenticeship. Their teachers had told them that if they didn't get into university they would be a failure and their parents likewise discouraged them for considering an apprenticeship. But once they happened upon a career adviser or a friend who informed them of the choices, the careers that are available through a traditional trade or some of the more - perhaps more modern trades that are now available, a whole new world opened up to them. So I think it's about having the information, being provided with detail on what sort of careers are available to people and I think the community has a large role to play, business and industry. That's why the Australian Government has announced the first truly national network for career's advice under Careers Advice Australia and this is a network that will target young people aged between thirteen and nineteen and work with schools and local industries and local businesses and local universities and higher education institutions to inform students of the vast array of careers that are available and if you take these subjects it can lead to this. If you do this at university it might lead to that. If you undertake this apprenticeship these are the careers available to you. So I think Careers Advice Australia is in fact one of the most significant initiatives that the Government has undertaken in this area and in the next month or so I'll be launching a big Careers Advice Australia event to underscore the importance of appropriate and professional career advice.

CHAIR: Samantha Maiden.

QUESTION: Samantha Maiden from The Australian. When it comes to attracting talented teachers to schools be they people that have worked in science or even in industry. How important is performance pay? How tough do you think that you're going to have to get with the States to make sure that gets through? And if I can ask a second question just on girls. We've heard a lot about boys and literacy. How seriously do you rate the issue with girls and the failure of more of them to study science?

JULIE BISHOP: Perhaps I'll answer the first - the second part first. In relation to girls in science and mathematics, it comes down to a simple analysis that fifty percent of our population or thereabouts is female and it's a cohort that I don't believe has been fully explored in terms of their involvement in science and technology and engineering. I mean one of our most important industries, mining and resources itself recognises that there are not enough women working in mining and resources. It's improving but there's an enormous gap and that's a whole cohort that we could increase their participation for the labour force. So I take it very seriously and that's why I'm going to convene this symposium to get some ideas from those who have been in the science and engineering and technology areas. What were the obstacles in their way? What can we do to encourage, mentor young women into science. In relation to performance pay I happen to believe that teachers are, after parents, the single most important determinant of a child's educational outcomes and I do not believe this country sufficiently recognises or rewards its good teachers. It certainly doesn't treasure its great teachers and we should. Now currently teachers are rewarded in terms of seniority - how long you've been in the job. Teaching should be regarded as a profession and I can't think of too many other professions where performance based pay isn't part of their professional career. What is wrong with paying great teachers good money? What is wrong with paying on performance if good teachers go to our most challenging schools and achieve outstanding results? Now people say to me oh! how can you possibly judge who's a good teacher or who's a bad teacher? You go into any school and you say who are the good teachers and bad teachers and they'll tell you. Students can tell you. Parents can tell you. Other teachers can tell you. And yet the State government can't work it out? I think that the State government sector must embrace this issue because the non-government school sector is embracing performance based pay and there will be a worrying number of teachers who for perfectly valid reasons would want to be in a system that recognises and rewards outstanding performance.

CHAIR: Thank you, the next question's from Simon Gross.

QUESTION: Simon Gross from the Canberra Times and Science Media. You acknowledged at the beginning of your speech that Australian science punches above its weight. One of the areas where we do that is definitely stem cell research. Unfortunately people in that area are worried that or they're resigned I think to punching with one hand tied behind their back because of the Government's unwillingness to endorse the, the recommendations of the Lockhart Review. You commissioned the Lockhart Review in your former portfolio... The Minister who does have carriage for it, Senator Santoro and his Senior Minister are not advocates for the Lockhart Review recommendations because they have very strong personal convictions against it. I'd like to ask you when the Government - when the Coalition Parties debate this issue, will you be an advocate for the Lockhart recommendations? And what hope do you hold out - can you offer to stem researchers that they'll be able to punch with both hands in the future?

JULIE BISHOP: It was after very careful consideration that the Government announced it was not disposed to make any changes to the existing national legislative framework for research involving human embryos and we've got to remember that the Review was in fact a review of legislation. It was a review of the framework. Recognising, however, the range of issues and views, as you quite rightly point out there will be a detailed discussion on this issue within the Government Party room in coming weeks and I certainly intend to make my position known but we also should remember that maintenance of the current position does in fact allow the continued use of excess embryos for research, excess embryos that were originally created for assisted reproductive technology and so that research continues. I mean the Australian Government is providing almost a hundred Million dollars to the Australian Stem Cell Centre under the Biotechnology Centre of Excellence Programme and a further five and a half Million dollars provided under the Major National Research Facilities Programme. So, research is continuing. But I think we should await the outcome of the discussion in the next few weeks.

CHAIR: David Spears.

QUESTION: David Spears from Sky News. Minister, while you've been here for the last hour you've been missing out on the debate up in Parliament on the Migration Bill so I thought I'd give you an opportunity to contribute from here. Do you agree with your colleague Petro Georgio who has just told Parliament that he believes this legislation is quote 'the profoundly disturbing piece of legislation he's encountered since becoming a Member of Parliament'? Or do you agree with your other colleague Alby Schultz that the moderates are being selfish and petulant by threatening to cross the floor and what do you think of the tone of the debate so far?

JULIE BISHOP: Well it's hard to judge the tone of the debate because I'm standing here and so I've not been in the Parliament as you rightly point out but I assume that I will get back in time to vote and I will be supporting the Government's legislation.

CHAIR: Jason Koutsoukis.

QUESTION: Minister, your predecessor Brendan Nelson at this same forum I think about twelve months ago was asked about Intelligent Design and whether it should be taught in schools. So I wanted to ask you whether...

JULIE BISHOP: What'd he say?

QUESTION CONT'D: Well, he, he gave them - he gave the push for Intelligent Design some encouragement and I was wondering whether you had yourself met with any interest groups advocating the introduction of Intelligent Design into the syllabus and whether or not you have a view on whether it should be a part of the [indistinct]?

JULIE BISHOP: I have had submissions in relation to this matter and as the Minister for Science I can state that it's my view that it is not part of a science curriculum. If however there are those who wish certain subjects to be taught or certain aspects or themes to be taught to their students, then that's a matter for parents to take up with individual schools or education authorities. But as Minister for Science, no, I would not advocate it be part of science courses.

CHAIR: Steve Lewis.

QUESTION: Minister, you've spoken with some conviction today of the need to increase the representation of women in the sciences. You've spoken in your capacity as one of Australia's most senior female politicians, possibly the most senior. Can I ask you do you envisage...

JULIE BISHOP: Really?

QUESTION CONT'D: Do you envisage, do you envisage - do you envisage a time when Australia might have a female Prime Minister? Is this something that you can envisage in your own political career time span and would you care to name any names if that is the case?

JULIE BISHOP: Steve, I just can't quite get where you're heading with this question. I believe that given the opportunity, Australian women can achieve whatever they set their sights upon and so if there's a woman out there who's setting her sights on becoming the Prime Minister of this country then I'm sure that there'll be opportunities for her to do so.

CHAIR: Minister we've already mentioned that we have a group of students here from All Saints College in Perth. We've invited them to ask a question and they've invited Adam who you've already met to ask the question on their behalf and [indistinct].

ADAM GALL: Adam Gall from All Saints College in Perth. Minister I was wondering if you could tell us about the initiatives the Government is adopting to encourage students, especially girls, to follow a career pathway in the sciences?

JULIE BISHOP: Well a number of the initiatives that I spoke about today are designed precisely to do that. I do believe it is a significant issue for this country. If we're to remain an internationally competitive, if we're to be part of the global effort in science and technology, we've got to have the science skills base and so that's why it starts right at the very beginning. It starts in early childhood. In pre-school. In primary schools. We've got to engage and excite and enthuse young people to take up science. Now I don't know how many of you are undertaking science, maths at this table? All of you I hope - you're here for National Science Week. No? Some? One? But it is important and I think we've, we've lost our way. We've dropped the ball in this regard. So I think a concerted national effort on the advancement of science in schools will pay enormous dividends. The, the symposium I spoke about for the advancement of girls in our maths and science is specifically designed to garner ideas from women who have made careers in science or engineering or technology and to understand the hurdles that they faced or why they have undertaken such courses or why it is that there are so few women undertaking scientific and research careers and once we've got the information, then we can trace it back to where the problems lie and do something about it and my, my friend Greg Craven's here who'll, who'll say something about - but Minister that's all part of the States and Territories' responsibilities and I'll yes but the Australian Government must show leadership in this regard and so I believe a number of the initiatives of course will require me to work with State and Education - State and Territory Education Ministers but I had such a warm reception from them in Brisbane recently, I'm sure we can achieve a great deal.

CHAIR: The next question's from Maryanne [indistinct].

QUESTION: Minister, Maryanne [indistinct], Australian Science Festival. Talking about leadership, I've been involved with National Science Week and the Australian Science Festival from the early days and seen this tremendous week eventuate around Australia where people can participate in it and views have been changed. I think there's something that perhaps we should look is how the media is influencing our youth and our parents and friends of parents more so than teachers and some evidence and some studies have been done in the ACT and Victoria to indicate that and I wonder whether we could sort of turn the engine around a little bit and spend some money by influencing some of the shows like Home and Away or whatever and having some scientists on those shows. Maybe the media could be given grants to put a scientist or an engineer or a young person on there so that we are actually influencing our kids in the future because we are doing a fantastic job but we still have these terrible skill shortages. So is there something that we can do and explore in that way?

JULIE BISHOP: I'm sorry I laughed at the idea of giving grants to the media. I think it's a brilliant idea. I'll personally hand them out. I think that some, some of the programmes that are shown for example on the ABC do excite and enthuse and I do accept that the medium can be very powerful in influencing young people. I've asked CSIRO before whether we can use Dr Robb more often, he's a young funky kind of guy that's a scientist and he relates to students. I mean the sort of Professor Sumner Miller in the twenty-first century if you know what I mean and I think there are - there's a great need for more role models in that regard or ambassadors, young ambassadors, that students can relate to and look up to and if the media wanted to work in partnership with the Government on some of these issues I'd only be too happy to explore, exploit those opportunities. In my own electorate this week during Science Week, Professor Barry Marshall will be visiting a number of schools and I was just relating this story at the table before, before I began speaking. Barry Marshall is considered a celebrity in China. A Nobel Prizewinner. China has not ever had a Nobel Prizewinner and UWA arranged for a visit of Barry Marshall to China just some months ago and he was treated like a celebrity, like a visiting rock star. I was there two weeks later and didn't quite get the same treatment but they did inform me that the response from students was just overwhelming. They were so fascinated by his life, by his work, by what he'd achieved and I think we should put to better use our living Nobel Laureates and we've got three and other high achieving scientists and researchers in positions as role models so that students can actually identify with the great heights to which a scientific career can take them.

CHAIR: Thank you Minister.

[Applause]

Thank you very much. We're exhausted our time and Parliament calls for you so thank you very much. We'd like to give you another twelve months' membership of the Club. Come back and talk about another part of your talk which I think I described at the outset as Education Science and Technology [indistinct] Training as you said - some of those other areas later on. Thank you.

[Applause]

JULIE BISHOP: My pleasure. Thank you very much.

[Applause]

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