Mr MARTYN EVANS(7.24 p.m.) —Mr Deputy Speaker Jenkins, on this occasion I would like to place on the record my congratulations to the Speaker on his election to his high office, and also to you for continuing in the capacity which you have previously served this parliament as Deputy Speaker and, in this case, as Second Deputy Speaker. I am sure you will again bring distinguished service to the House.

Two years ago when I stood in this place to make what was then my first speech to the parliament, I raised the topic of science and technological development. It is very appropriate that that should have been my first speech in this place because I now stand to give my first speech in this parliament as shadow minister for science and information technology. It is a theme which I want to continue in my first speech today to the current parliament.

Science has always been critical to the development of Australia. I think anyone who understands the nature of the Australian continent—we have a very large resource base and a large land mass but a relatively small population by world standards—will understand the importance of science to this country. Science has always underpinned our place in the world. A very creative and innovative approach to basic science has always underpinned the mining activities in this country as well as agriculture, manufacturing and environmental management. Science is one of our greatest national assets. It helps us to exploit the many other natural assets which this country has and, in doing so, it uses one of our other great natural assets: the people of this country and their skills.

How are we going to continue to maintain this very innovative and creative approach which Australians have always brought to science and to the management of it in their country? We have always had a very strong commitment from the public sector. Our public sector science has always been very strong and it has specialised in basic and strategic research which, over the period of the Labor government, increased by some 60 per cent in real terms over that last decade. The CSIRO enjoyed an increase of some 23 per cent in that same period in real terms, and university research has increased by some 164 per cent since 1983. Those are the statistics. They underpin the very strong commitment of the Labor government to science in this country in its various guises and, in particular—as my remarks later will highlight—the importance of basic university research and the funding which has been provided to that in recent years.

Australia, as I am sure honourable members will appreciate, has shown a greater commitment to university research than even the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany or France. As a percentage of GDP, our expenditure on university research ex ceeds all of those countries with whom we would normally be pleased to compare ourselves. All up, government expenditure on research, development and innovation is some $3.6 billion a year. I think it is very important to include innovation with research and development.

Innovation is a much misunderstood topic in this country and it is one which we have failed to exploit in the past. In the last few years, though, science in this country has also been combined with technological innovation in a way which we have not seen before, but in a way which is vital to the future long-term development of this country. If we are to continue to exploit the advantages which we have—those eminent natural resources on which this country has grown for the last century or more—then we will need to combine more innovation in our research and development, in our civilian science and in the way in which business applies those techniques to manufacturing, agriculture, mining and all of the other assets that this country has. We will also need to ensure that that massive expenditure of over $3 billion a year is able to reward Australians who are contributing through their tax dollars to that very investment.

Honourable members who served with me in the last parliament on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology of this House—I hope to see it re-established in this parliament because I think it performed a very valuable service in the last and previous parliaments—will be aware of the value of innovation to this country. Innovation has always been a very important part of our psyche and development, but we have failed in the past to adequately target and identify ways in which government and the private sector can contribute to innovation in this country.

What else has government done in recent years? The cooperative research centres would have to be one of the highlights of the Labor Party's contribution to science in this country over the last decade. They represent a massive commitment by government in a whole variety of scientific and very practical endeavours to ensure that the quality of life in this country is enhanced. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the launch of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality in Adelaide—a very significant development in a state which is often quoted as being one of the driest states in the driest continent in the world.

South Australia has a lot to gain from investment and research on water quality, as Australia generally does, and I know that the CRC which we recently opened in South Australia will return that investment by the public and private sectors many times over. I was certainly struck at the launch of that CRC by the significant number of private sector companies which were prepared to invest their own dollars in that research effort. I am sure that it will certainly repay them, as it will the people of Australia. But how did that process become established? How was that kicked off? Obviously by the very significant leadership and financial commitment of the government sector. Without that investment by the public sector, those private companies would not have had the opportunity to be part of a very exciting research centre.

Debate interrupted.