I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, the Ngunnawal People, and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

I extend that acknowledgment to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People here today.

I would also like to acknowledge:

• Professor Tony Haymet, Chief Scientist of Australia
• Paula Taylor, ASTA President and recipient of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
• Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, President of the Australian Academy of Science

Thank you to the Australian Science Teachers Association for the invitation to join you this morning – and for the work you do, day in and day out, to make science matter for young Australians.

ASTA represents the part of our science system that rarely makes headlines, but without which, none of our national ambitions would be possible: the patient, professional work of building scientific literacy and nurturing curiosity.

Science has always shaped the possibilities of human society on this continent. 

We cannot really understand the 60,000 years or more of continuous human life on this continent unless we recognise the way the First Australians have used a distinct kind of science, coupled with powerful customs and conventions, to approach land management, food security, health, aquaculture and much else. 

We also cannot begin to understand the extraordinary success of contemporary Australian life – in terms of economic development, living standards and broader quality of life – unless we recognise how central science has been to Australia’s success.  

Urgent and complex scientific questions are at the heart of the world’s biggest challenges today – from the adoption of AI to energy and climate policy, from health and the care economy, and boosting Australia’s productivity.

The Albanese Labor Government is making sure Australia can leverage its scientific talent to maximise our nation’s potential. That means investing in clean energy and critical technologies; delivering the first ever National AI Plan and National Quantum Strategy; backing the most innovative medical technology startups through the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund and the Industry Growth Program; and conducting a wholesale re-examination of Australia’s research and development settings.  

Science unlocks new vistas for Australians. It is how Australians will solve big national challenges in climate, energy and future industry. 

It is how young Australians will shape a fairer, bigger and cleaner future for Australia, our region and the world. 

The new Australian of the Year, Katherine Bennell-Pegg is an example of that.

Katherine recently pointed out that the whole ‘world of possibility’ opened up to her in space science and engineering because of the investment and encouragement of a good teacher. 

A good science education gives young Australians the tools to navigate the complicated world around them. It encourages them to think big, about problems worth solving, and futures worth building. It gives students the confidence to weigh information, test assumptions and seek the truth. 

Science education cultivates the kind of curiosity and wonder that ignites lifelong passion and unlocks extraordinary new ideas, leading to breakthrough publications, patents, grants and start-up companies. 

It leads to new technology, new industries and good jobs.   

Our shared challenge is to make the pipeline from classroom curiosity to lifelong scientific excellence as strong as possible.

It’s for that reason that the Australian Government, through my department, proudly partners with ASTA through the Inspiring Australia - Science Engagement Program. 

Inspiring Australia reflects our shared commitment to turning curious, promising young science students into the successful scientists of tomorrow; and to upholding the value of knowledge and expertise in our civic culture.

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science is one way that we celebrate the educators who translate curiosity into ongoing engagement.

I’m proud that in the last term, our Labor Government recognised the value of Australian science teachers by increasing the value of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching. 

And it was fitting that I got to present the prize for science teaching in secondary schools to Matt Dodds, who teaches at my old country high school – Glen Innes High School.

Matt created an annual two-day Astronomy and Astrophysics camp at Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran. Seven years later, over 280 students from regional schools have attended the program.  

His passion and commitment have significantly increased the number of girls studying physics at his school and the number of students pursuing higher education in STEM. I think that’s something worth celebrating, not least because yesterday was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

At the University of New England, the number of students commencing study in ‘natural and physical sciences’, and ‘information technology’, grew by 50% in the decade to 2024. I’m not saying Mr Dodds did it all himself, but it certainly could not happen without teachers of that calibre and commitment to service.

I hardly need to tell this audience about the enormous contribution that Paula Taylor has made, nationally and here in the ACT, to excellence in science teaching in primary schools. Paula’s innovative, hands-on learning experiences have engaged students of all abilities and levelled up the talents and capabilities of literally hundreds of teachers. 

So it’s fitting that Paula is now the president of an organisation that has for 75 years played a critical role in making sure science, and science teaching, are held high in public esteem. 

ASTA’s work is so important, not just because of the support it provides for science teachers nationwide, but in broader civic terms too. 

In the coming decades, science will shape the kind of economy we make, the technologies we have and the society we become. 

Scientists are trusted and respected right across Australia. And Australia doesn’t have future scientists without great science teachers. 

But we have seen around the world, and here in Australia, the sort of damage that anti-scientific, conspiratorial thinking, mostly in its online forms, can do to the cause of human progress in health, climate, energy and technology. 

Anti-science conspiracism, much of it sourced from extremists overseas, means what you teach, and the relationships you form with your students, are on the frontline of the contest for democracy, democratic institutions and science. 

I don’t want to raise the stakes too high – but there is a lot at stake. That’s why ASTA’s contribution to the world of science and education is so important. This government is right there with you.