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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Dear ASA members,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US">See below for details of STA’s priorities for the upcoming Federal election.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The Pre-Budget submission linked below highlights STA’s three focus areas: a Sovereign Capability Moonshot Program for areas of critical national need ($2.5 billion), support for early stage prototyping
and scale-up ($0.4 billion), and establishment of the Office for Indigenous STEM ($65 million).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Kind regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Stas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Professor Stas Shabala<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">(he/him/his)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">President, Astronomical Society of Australia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Associate Head Research, School of Natural Sciences<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Discipline of Physics | School of Natural Sciences | College of Science and Engineering<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">University of Tasmania<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">------------------------------------</span><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><outreach+Science.and.Technology.Australia@streem.com.au> on behalf of Science and Technology Australia <outreach+Science.and.Technology.Australia@streem.com.au><br>
<b>Reply to: </b>"media@sta.org.au" <media@sta.org.au><br>
<b>Date: </b>Thursday, 6 February 2025 at 8:50 am<br>
<b>To: </b>Stas Shabala <stanislav.shabala@utas.edu.au><br>
<b>Subject: </b>BUDGET A CHANCE TO TACKLE THE ‘MISSING MIDDLE’ OF AUS INNOVATION<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:0%"><span style="font-size:1.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif">BUDGET A CHANCE TO TACKLE T...
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<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:#FF9900">BUDGET A CHANCE TO TACKLE THE ‘MISSING MIDDLE’ OF AUS INNOVATION</span></strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:#E60000">THURSDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2025</span></strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">Creating a National Prototyping Facility would tackle the ‘missing middle’ of product development, keeping Australian ideas, innovation and entrepreneurs
onshore, and securing the country’s future prosperity.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">In its
<a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/0QdACoV1kpfK2A3m7H1foTpfZ6g?domain=email.streem.com.au">
Pre-Budget submission</a> on behalf of more than 225,000 scientists and technologists, Science & Technology Australia has called for strategic investment in industry development to create a prosperous Australia made from Australian ideas.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">While Australia has world-class STEM-skilled research expertise to innovate, too many great ideas never become economy-boosting products because of the challenge
of developing early-stage prototypes prior to scale-up. The proposal put forward by STA would see the creation of a nationally-coordinated network of facilities to support pre-market development, testing and scale-up.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">“Prototyping products to give business the confidence to invest is the missing middle of Australia’s manufacturing capability,” said STA Chief Executive
Officer Ryan Winn.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">“Because the country doesn’t have this, our best innovators and entrepreneurs are forced to develop and test their products overseas, or worse, great ideas
are simply shelved.”</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">“Australia’s early-stage business ventures and researchers looking to translate and commercialise work need access to a national facility to test product
viability, trial designs and optimise manufacturing processes.”</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">“This proposal would ensure that more Australian ideas and innovations are turned into the products, services and jobs of tomorrow. It would fill a significant
gap in the country’s capability, and ensure that Australia’s businesses have the support they need to help transform our economy.”</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">Spanning the ‘valley of death’ stages of innovation, the National Prototyping Facility would deliver crucial government support to de-risking the proof-of-concept
and early scale up stages of product development, enabling industry to invest with greater confidence.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">“Australia has the research smarts, and it has government initiatives working to support advanced manufacturing. This year’s Budget is a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to bring those things together by tackling what’s missing,” said Mr Winn.</span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><b><i><u><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black"><br>
<em><span style="font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif">About Science & Technology Australia</span></em></span></u></i></b><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black"><br>
<em><span style="font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif">Science & Technology Australia is the nation’s peak body representing more than 225,000 scientists and technologists. We’re the leading policy voice on science and technology. Our flagship programs include
<a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/ROL8Cp81lrtx4g3ZjSDhDTGJDY3?domain=email.streem.com.au">
Science Meets Parliament</a>, <a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/jwyzCq71mwf7YgjvpiQizTEpe8s?domain=email.streem.com.au">
Superstars of STEM</a>, and <a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/zABVCr81nytDQylO5uysyT4c4gL?domain=email.streem.com.au">
STA STEM Ambassadors</a>. </span></em></span><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Lucida Grande",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">Media contact: Martyn Pearce, STA: 0432 606 828</span></strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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