National Science Week

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:04): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Science and Information Economy a question about National Science Week.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA: National Science Week, Australia's annual celebration of science and technology, acknowledges the contribution of Australian scientists to the world in which we live. A particular focus of National Science Week is on encouraging younger people to consider science as both a fascinating way of understanding the world and as a potential future career. Will the minister inform the council about what South Australia is doing for National Science Week?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Indeed, National Science Week is a nationwide annual celebration of science and technology, comprising events delivered by schools, tertiary institutions, museums, science organisations and many others. It is now into its 16^th year and attracts over a million people across the nation.

National Science Week provides an opportunity for all South Australians to take part in activities that bring to life science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and provides different ways to experience the world of science. This year, National Science Week will run from 16 to 24 August. There are 84 events in South Australia, most in Adelaide and surrounding suburbs. I could not possibly list them all but, to give those present a taste of the fantastic events that are on offer, there is the Science Alive Expo at the Wayville showgrounds. There will be over 50 organisations offering and including chemistry, wildlife and magic shows. These same organisations will hold a special career day for high school students and their teachers at Wayville.

Also on offer will be the Science Parade in Rundle Mall, a tour of Adelaide Oval looking at the engineering involved, a demonstration of 3-D printing at the Fab Lab, and even an event where kids can dig for fossils. Of course, there are also many fascinating events at the Botanic Gardens, the SA Museum, and the Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide. Each of our universities is offering one or more events and many local libraries are staging events, as well.

National Science Week also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of our brilliant and dedicated scientists and innovators, as well as our hardworking teachers and lecturers. At the SA Science Excellence Awards gala dinner, amongst other awards, the leading category—the SA Power Networks Scientist of the Year for 2014—will be announced. The Science Excellence Awards is South Australia's premier event to recognise and reward outstanding scientific endeavour, including its application in industry and the advancement of science and mathematics education. Four categories are included in the 2014 awards with a total of nine awards.

As members can see, National Science Week events can be enjoyed by South Australians of all ages and are by no means limited to educators and students. In particular, I hope that parents and pre school-aged children will be able to participate in as many of these events that are on offer. Many of these events are likely to provide a great deal of fascination and intrigue for younger children. By inspiring and engaging children with the world of science from an early age we are much more likely to see their interest in science grow during their formative years.

Indeed, science communication remains an important part of the state government strategy to raise participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, particularly in relation to educational opportunities and careers. This is recognised in the Investing in Science action plan, where a key innovation is to increase the communication and promotion of STEM activities to the community, students and industry.

This year's National Science Week theme is Food for our Future: Science Feeding the World. This message is as vital at the local level as it is globally. The South Australian government is committed to building, growing and securing our food and wine industries, particularly through harnessing new ideas through science and research. Agricultural production is pivotal to our future prosperity and this is reflected in the government's strategic priority of premium food and wine from a clean environment. I congratulate all those who will make National Science Week such a success. Without their dedication, enthusiasm and genuine passion for science, this week would not be possible.