❓ Mr. Norberger asks about the state's innovation strategy. The Minister for Innovation details the strategy's four pillars, funding allocations, and initiatives to support startups, commercialize university research, and connect investors with innovators.
AnsweredQoN 849Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INNOVATION STRATEGY
849. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Minister for
Innovation:
Before I ask my question, I acknowledge
the year 11 students in the gallery today from Swan Christian College in the
member for Swan Hills' electorate.
Can the minister please update the
house on the state's first innovation strategy?
849. Mr J. NORBERGER to the Minister for
Innovation:
Before I ask my question, I acknowledge
the year 11 students in the gallery today from Swan Christian College in the
member for Swan Hills' electorate.
Can the minister please update the
house on the state's first innovation strategy?
AnswerView source ↗
I would be delighted, and I thank
the member for Joondalup for the question. As the member knows, Edith Cowan
University Joondalup, in his electorate, is the leading university for
cybersecurity studies. A key reason we have an innovation strategy is to tap
into and leverage state government funding with commonwealth programs. The
commonwealth has available a $30 million cybersecurity program, and we are
going to tap into that, if we can, through this innovation strategy.
As everyone in this house knows, the
Treasurer allocated $20 million in the 2015–16 budget over four years
for innovation. On 2 November, at the state innovation awards, I was very
pleased to release the ''Western Australian Innovation Strategy'',
which I am happy to table shortly. This strategy was developed by extensive
consultation with industry and all the stakeholders in the innovation
eco-cultural system. We held a workshop attended by 250 people, with another
few hundred people listening in over the internet. There are four pillars of
the strategy. Talent and skills is one of the pillars. I will give members
examples of some of the strategies that we will be implementing. We will
continue the innovator of the year program. We will be beefing it up to make it
a $150 000-a-year program to support those bright ideas that come out of the
system. One of the gaps in talent and skills is teaching entrepreneurship. The
Labor Party has no talent at all.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : There is $500 000 allocated each year to teach innovation,
which I think is an important program that universities have not engaged in.
The other pillar is investment in infrastructure. This is the part of the
strategy that most of the start-ups and small-to-medium businesses will be
looking at. I will highlight two of the six programs. Creating a WA start-up
program will be allocated $500 000 in the first year and $1 million in the
second year, and that will increase to $2 million per annum to support ideas in
that valley-of-death period through to the commercialisation stage. That is an
area that industry is really looking forward to. Universities have not been
left out. There is $1 million allocated to the commercialisation of university
research. We have not left out culture and collaboration, which are very
important in the innovation field. It is important to have the right culture.
Several members interjected.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : Members on the other side of the chamber may laugh, but they
did nothing and they have nothing. We are doing something.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : Another gap—there are lots of gaps —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you have one minute.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I am nearly finished, Mr Speaker.
One of the gaps is getting the
people with the money together with the people with the ideas. We will be
creating an innovation hub to make sure that we can bring these people
together. Finally, we will market and promote the program. We will make sure that
we have videos and promotional packages that can be linked in with our overseas
offices and leading delegations to make sure that in this very important space
we will create more jobs to diversify the Western Australian economy. We will
support and commercialise products right here in Western Australia and they
will stay in Western Australia. That will be great for Western Australia and
the diversification of the Western Australian economy.
[See paper 4841.]
the member for Joondalup for the question. As the member knows, Edith Cowan
University Joondalup, in his electorate, is the leading university for
cybersecurity studies. A key reason we have an innovation strategy is to tap
into and leverage state government funding with commonwealth programs. The
commonwealth has available a $30 million cybersecurity program, and we are
going to tap into that, if we can, through this innovation strategy.
As everyone in this house knows, the
Treasurer allocated $20 million in the 2015–16 budget over four years
for innovation. On 2 November, at the state innovation awards, I was very
pleased to release the ''Western Australian Innovation Strategy'',
which I am happy to table shortly. This strategy was developed by extensive
consultation with industry and all the stakeholders in the innovation
eco-cultural system. We held a workshop attended by 250 people, with another
few hundred people listening in over the internet. There are four pillars of
the strategy. Talent and skills is one of the pillars. I will give members
examples of some of the strategies that we will be implementing. We will
continue the innovator of the year program. We will be beefing it up to make it
a $150 000-a-year program to support those bright ideas that come out of the
system. One of the gaps in talent and skills is teaching entrepreneurship. The
Labor Party has no talent at all.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : There is $500 000 allocated each year to teach innovation,
which I think is an important program that universities have not engaged in.
The other pillar is investment in infrastructure. This is the part of the
strategy that most of the start-ups and small-to-medium businesses will be
looking at. I will highlight two of the six programs. Creating a WA start-up
program will be allocated $500 000 in the first year and $1 million in the
second year, and that will increase to $2 million per annum to support ideas in
that valley-of-death period through to the commercialisation stage. That is an
area that industry is really looking forward to. Universities have not been
left out. There is $1 million allocated to the commercialisation of university
research. We have not left out culture and collaboration, which are very
important in the innovation field. It is important to have the right culture.
Several members interjected.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : Members on the other side of the chamber may laugh, but they
did nothing and they have nothing. We are doing something.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : That is enough!
Mr
W.R. MARMION : Another gap—there are lots of gaps —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister, you have one minute.
Mr
W.R. MARMION : I am nearly finished, Mr Speaker.
One of the gaps is getting the
people with the money together with the people with the ideas. We will be
creating an innovation hub to make sure that we can bring these people
together. Finally, we will market and promote the program. We will make sure that
we have videos and promotional packages that can be linked in with our overseas
offices and leading delegations to make sure that in this very important space
we will create more jobs to diversify the Western Australian economy. We will
support and commercialise products right here in Western Australia and they
will stay in Western Australia. That will be great for Western Australia and
the diversification of the Western Australian economy.
[See paper 4841.]
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.