Speech at the 2026 Eureka Prizes

Thank you very much, I have prepared for you all this short 45-minute address on the importance of Australian science.

It is a privilege and an honour, to be Australia's Minister for Science. It is a heavy responsibility as well, but I can't tell you how, coming to this evening's event, how excited I am by all the optimism and effort that has gone into all of your work. 

So, thank you and congratulations to all of you.

You know, science has been central to the Australian achievement, and, a funny place to have this realization, but a few hours ago, I was a few 100 meters underground in a gold and antimony mine in Northern New South Wales, in Hillgrove – a mine that is using, much of it Australian, science to produce critical minerals and gold. 

And it did occur to me down there in the dark, Robyn [Williams], that calling the prizes the Eureka Prizes for an Australian Science Award is really an inspired choice of a name.

You're all familiar – give him a clap – and thinking about our gold sector made me think about this.

Of course, you're all familiar with the Archimedes legend. Archimedes, who must have been Syracuse's Chief Scientist at the time, the King of Syracuse wanted him to value a gold crown. Cheapskate.

Not something I've thought about asking Tony Hayman to do. And he had that moment of realization – a story that is about individual brilliance in science – and you all know that science is really an effort of teams, of individual brilliance and teams in the Australian context.

But you really see something about Australia too. You know that moment when all those [Eureka] gold miners took that action, violent action, to secure a different kind of Australia and the foundations of Australian democracy.

The way that we think about ourselves as a country, was very much [forged] in that moment, I would argue.

And so the bringing together, in my view, of these two ideas in the Eureka Prizes says something about the place of science in modern Australia that is hopeful and patriotic.

It is determined to make sure that, as we face the great challenges that Australia has in front of it, and the enormous opportunities that we share – a 60,000-year-old continuous culture, a vast continent, resources as far as the eye can see, wind and solar, proximity to global markets, the challenges of climate change and energy – all of this integral to how Australia performs in prosperity and security terms and resilience terms will be the preserve of Australian science.

And I can just tell you that I feel strongly that we have got a remarkable science community and capability, and that I feel my responsibility intensely to deliver for Australian science and to make sure that Australian science is at the centre of Australian life. 

So once again, thank you for all of your work.

Thank you to that national living treasure, Robyn Williams, for the inspired idea in establishing these awards, and thank you to the Australian Museum for hosting this event.