News
Published 21-09-2015
PYNE SET TO DRIVE INDUSTRY INNOVATION AGENDA
Australian industry will take centre stage under the new Turnbull government.
The appointment of Christopher Pyne as Minister for Innovation and Industry marks a new era for Australian manufacturing.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the Innovation and Industry portfolio as being at the centre "of one of our most important agendas.”
“If we want to remain a prosperous, first world economy with a generous social welfare safety net we must be more competitive, we must be more productive, above all we must be more innovative, Mr Turnbull said yesterday after announcing his new Cabinet.
"We have to work more agilely, more innovatively; we have to be more nimble in the way we seize the enormous opportunities presented to us. We're not seeking to proof ourselves against the future. We are seeking to embrace it."
In a media statement yesterday Mr Pyne said: "With a sweeping tide of new disruptive technologies that will entirely transform the way we live and the way we work, Australian industry must continue to lead the world in research and innovation, ensuring our nation can seize the opportunities ahead.
"We have the researchers, the universities, the institutions such as CSIRO, Questacon and others who are world leading. We have co-operative research centres and industry growth centres and a very wide range of collaborative ventures around the globe. We have a major agenda in the commercialisation of research outcomes.
"We have the technical capacity and capability to remain a nation with industries that offer the jobs of the 21st century.
“As minister I will be working with industry and our institutions to continue on this course and look forward to the challenges ahead."
As member for the SA seat of Sturt, Mr Pyne will be keen to rebuild the government's standing in South Australia, hit hard by decisions taken by the Abbott government on submarines and motor vehicles.
The former Minister for Education and Training, replaces Ian Macfarlane, one of five
Abbott government cabinet ministers exiting the front bench.Mr Pyne was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Sturt in 1993.
In his time in Parliament he has been Shadow Minister for Education, Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Shadow Minister for Justice, Minister for Ageing, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Parliamentary Secretary for Family and Community Services.
Before entering Parliament, Mr Pyne practised as a solicitor. He is married with four children.
“It is a great honour for me to accept the Prime Minister's offer to become the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Leader of the Government in the first Turnbull Ministry,” Mr Pyne said.
“Having served for five years as Shadow Minister and then two years as Minister for Education and Training, I am delighted by this new opportunity to serve in an economic portfolio that is central to the future of our nation.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian," as the Prime Minister has said.