ATSE welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the 2022-23 Federal Budget.
This submission outlines the need to develop a skilled workforce for the future, create the conditions for research activity and commercialisation, and utilise technology to address climate change.
To achieve this vision, we presented a set of specific recommendations for strategic and targeted Government investment in the 2022-23 Federal Budget.
To meet Australia’s economic, environmental, and industrial ambitions, a focused plan is required to create a technology powered, human driven future for all Australians.
ATSE recommends three priorities
1. Cultivating a skilled STEM workforce
2. Creating conditions for increased research collaboration, translation, and commercialisation
3. Applying a technology-based approach to managing and mitigating climate change.
Our recommendations are below
Developing a skilled STEM workforce
1. Provide access to programs (like ATSE’s world class digitech program CS in Schools) for school students to develop digital literacy.
2. Provide access to hands-on programs (like ATSE’s innovative STEM teaching program STELR) which develop practical science and engineering skills and inspire students into STEM-powered career paths.
3. Invest in developing the STEM teaching workforce, by mandating that STEM teachers to have a STEM specific degree, providing upskilling and incentives for teachers.
4. Increase industry engagement and cross-sector research and development collaborations by resourcing industry internship and mentoring programs for early-career researchers (like ATSE’s flagship Industry Mentoring Network in STEM – IMNIS program).
Enhancing research collaboration, translation, and commercialisation
5. Deliver a research funding strategy which covers the entire research pipeline from curiosity-driven research to industry-led research commercialisation.
6. Commit to fully fund the upcoming University research Commercialisation Scheme in full for no less than a five-year period.
7. Create and invest in a national strategy to create a circular economy to accelerate a paradigm shift towards design for reduced waste and better product stewardship.
8. Use public procurement to create strong and immediate viable markets for new and environmentally sustainable domestic products.[1]
9. Support a ‘Digital by Default’ approach for major projects, as advocated by the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, with data and digital valued alongside physical infrastructure.
Deploying technologies for climate change mitigation and resilience
10. Invest in electric and hydrogen vehicle infrastructure including a comprehensive electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refuelling plan.
11. Increase public investment in developing emerging technologies as outlined in the Low-Emissions Technology Statements, within a publicly accountable implementation framework.
[1] Roos, Goran 2012, ‘Manufacturing into the Future’, accessed from <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274392157_Manufacturing_into_the_Future>