Speech to AusBiotech 40th Anniversary Parliamentary Event

Thank you very much. I look around this room and I see a meeting of the leaders in our sector.  

And some of you are – you know it is not the first time we’ve come to Parliament House.  

But for those of you who haven’t been before like this is the best time – really, the Spring sitting. The gardens in this place.  

It’s the people’s house. It’s Australia’s house. You’re very, very welcome here and I encourage you to spend a bit of time lolling in the garden.  

This is the only time I have seen sort of the sun over the course of today, so I am delighted to be here. 

I want to acknowledge Parliamentary colleagues from my colleague Mark Butler, our very capable and able Minister for Health, to the colleagues from the Labor Party I see. Mike’s here. Aaron Violi.  

You know it is important, that while there are differences and distinctions in kind of outlook that there is strong support across the Parliament.  

It’s not universal I have to say. It’s not universal.  

Like there is a strain of hostility to science.  

Hostility to the medical sector, medical technology, biotechnology in some quarters about Parliament.  

And in our quality as our politics has become more divided, more polarised.  

And it is our job to keep a watchful eye on that and make sure that we keep our true course for Australia, and actually for science, for the opportunities that it offers our economy and for our public health.  

Rebecca and the team from AusBiotech, I really – it is an achievement – 40 years of advocacy for this sector.  

It is not an ordinary industry association.  

The core of what you all do, you know ultimately you either are businesses or are hoping to bring commercial operations that make things for Australia and for the world.  

But at your heart is a pretty noble public purpose really.  

And for many of your firms, the benefits that you have brought to Australians, and to their families and communities in terms of improved health. Better lives. More productive lives. More productive communities.  

Like I do think that this is an industry that can really hold its head up. Really hold its head up in terms of its contribution. 

350,000 jobs. Not all of them you know in the kind of areas where you all are concentrated, but many of them in the outer suburbs and the regions.  

Make a real difference to communities. The people who I used to represent as a trade union official in this area. These are people who production workers in some of your facilities. They are so proud of the contribution that they make. 

My colleague, Andrew Charlton, just next to his electorate – Cochlear. Where production workers who live in Andrew’s electorate. Laboratory technicians who live in Andrew’s electorate and work across the river in Lane Cove. They’re helping kids here – you know here and around the world. It’s a profound contribution.  

And we are making an effort as a government – a whole of government effort. The work that Mark and I are leading together to sharpen up the relationship.  

Using the report that Robyn Denholm, and Ian Chubb, and Fiona and others led in our Ambitious Australia report. 

Sharpen up our research to industry commercialisation capability across government does involve my department, and the capabilities are there.  

Working with the Minister for Defence and the Minister for Defence Industry to make sure we are getting it right in that area.  

A whole lot of other areas but no more vital than your sector. That is a whole of government effort.  

In my area, making sure the National Reconstruction Fund – I think I have a showcase here this week to encourage you to engage with the Fund.  

Some of you are very engaged with the Fund. Creating opportunities, you know, for new firms to commercialise here in Australia. 

I want to pull every lever to make this work. As Mark said, we made some big decisions in the Budget about the shape of the tax system and the research and development tax incentive systems. They are calls that are absolutely in the public interest. Absolutely in the public interest. 

There are a set of issues there for the sector. And I can assure you that your representatives have been you know in the exactly the way that we – this is not a government that has a glass jaw. 

People say oh you know – there have been previous governments where people have made criticism of the Government and it’s been like the most shocking thing that has ever happened. They cry about it, carry on, and try to flog the person who said the mean thing.  

That is not the Albanese Government. We want to work with you to deliver better outcomes. 

We have been working very closely, very collaboratively with Rebecca and the team.  

And some of you in this room have made representations to Mark and to I – and we are working closely with our colleagues in Treasury to make sure that we are delivering framework that means more research activity, more venture capital investment, more commercialisation activity, more investment.  

That’s what we want to see because it is in our economic interest absolutely.  

It is in our interest to build a more diverse and resilient Australian economy for the future. 

But most of all. Most of all because of the public purpose of what it is that you do. And the lives that you change and the difference you make to make the country a better place.  

Very grateful for the opportunity to not deliver the speech I was given, but to you know really say to all of you thank you for the work you do. 

To say to Rebecca and the team at AusBiotech – who played a very special role I think in the way industry approaches government – where while there is not always universal agreement and there shouldn’t be. There shouldn’t be. We are very grateful for the work that you do and really looking forward to what the next four years’ looks like.  

Thank you very much.