STEM Australia Website

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:28): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Science and Information Economy a question about STEM Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: STEM Australia website was launched in January 2014 and was promoted as a 'one-stop information hub' for science, technology, engineering and maths training and careers. Information obtained under freedom of information confirmed that the state government has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars by dumping a website promoting science and technology careers only one year after setting up the site.

The FOI stated that at least $226,000 was spent on the STEM Australia site, and despite the department having a fully qualified web developer and designer the government still decided to start a contract with web developer StudioHum. Subsequently, another advertising company Showpony was also involved. The site was shut down in April this year, with much of its content transferred to a page within the Skills SA site. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister advise why the website was pulled down from its original site in April this year after just 14 months of operation?

2. Can the minister advise why, even up to now, links on the site lead to disconnected phone numbers and dead ends?

3. Can the minister advise how much departmental staff time was spent on the project?

4. Why did the government outsource this contract, especially when the department employs a fully qualified web developer and designer?

5. Can the minister advise if the advertising agency Showpony work for the STEM website was billed as part of the Skills for All contract and not billed as a direct cost of producing the STEM portal website?

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) (14:29): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. Indeed, from April 2015 the content from the STEM Australia website was made available through the more popular Skills for All website; it will continue to be available on the new WorkReady website posted the day before yesterday. This transition allows people to more easily connect with STEM career information with the training and skill options available under Skills for All and now WorkReady.

The Skills for All website receives much higher visitor traffic and gives the STEM content much higher exposure, with an average of over 26,000 visitors per month. The website is also actively promoted as part of the Department of State Development's training and career information services, including the use of social media channels. The South Australian government remains committed to lifting participation in STEM education and training. STEM skills are critical to increasing productivity and research capabilities, commercialisation and response to technological change.

The government is working closely with Australia's science hub, RiAus, based here in Adelaide to implement direct STEM initiatives such as the development of STEM resources, incorporating lesson plans and video content and a range of other things.

The government recently launched the Inspiring South Australia program, a $1.52 million initiative supported by the federal and state government, the state's three local universities and also the SA Museum. The state government is also contributing $360,000 over four years towards a program to increase the community's understanding and appreciation of the role that science plays in our lives and our future prosperity, and the state's support will include a number of activities.

STEM Sista is another initiative industry-led pilot program to encourage more girls into STEM. Concept2Creation is an industry-led program to provide industry-centric curriculum resources and mentors for schools worth $700,000 over three years. The Defence and STEM Scholarships and Internships program enhances university students' learning and employment outcomes, and VentureDorm for Teachers is a pilot program in conjunction with the New Venture Institute at Flinders University and the Australian Science and Maths School. So, we have a very extensive STEM program.

The STEM Australia website contained general STEM career information on jobs and training as well as blogs and articles from people working in STEM industries, particularly women. That site was targeted at school and tertiary students, parents and teachers. The site was developed by the former DFEEST and went live in July 2013. Audience testing of the original concept and consultation with STEM stakeholders showed support for the website.

However, despite extensive cross-government efforts to promote the STEM Australia portal to schools, students and employers, it didn't achieve the level of user interest as anticipated. The number of page views averaged 1,500, but the number of registered members submitting content was estimated at less than 10. There was also a number of competing national and international websites with similar content, such as myfuture, and there are a number of others.

Given that we monitor these things and are always looking to make best use of public money and given the low level of stakeholder engagement and ongoing maintenance costs associated in terms of staff resources and the website licence fee, the department decided to transition the STEM content to a more recognised website with higher visitor traffic.

The content development on the STEM Australia website remains accessible to the public. Since the transition in April 2015, there have been over 1,800 page views on the STEM page on the Skills for All website, so clearly this was the right thing to do, and it is a very positive indication that the STEM content is receiving a much higher exposure, given its new location.