Questacon – the National Science and Technology Centre will receive $60 million in next week’s budget, Federal Labor ministers announced today.
They maintain that this will secure the institution’s future, inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, and redress a decade of neglect by the former Coalition government.
The funds will be used for “urgent and much-needed” repairs to ensure the safety of children, and for retaining staff, finance minister Senator Katy Gallagher said, as well as for visitor experiences and national STEM programs.
Questacon’s director, Jo White, said the funding was “a very welcome decision”.
A building services review revealed that more than 90 items needed to be upgraded. While the building was “very beautiful”, Ms White said, it was 35 years old. “Some things are ending their useful life.” Other areas needed to be more accessible. And, “like other parts of Canberra”, when it rained heavily, the building leaked and water entered underground carparks.
The digital assets were “very aged”, Ms White said. People who wanted to sign up as members, or renew their memberships, had to use paper-based forms.
She said Questacon had used short-term funds to address the most immediate safety issues – but those will expire in June.
In Labor’s first budget, in October 2022, the government committed $10 million to extend Questacon’s outreach programs that reach 70,000 people every year.
Previous Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke opened Questacon in 1988; the current Labor politicians see the funding as continuing that commitment. Up to 500,000 people – including 150,000 children – visit Questacon every year.
“This is where many children first realise their passion for science,” local MP Alicia Payne said.
“Questacon sparks an interest, a curiosity, and potentially creates a pathway for future science and tech talent in this country,” Ed Husic MP, Federal Minister for Industry and Science, said.
But the Labor ministers allege that the Coalition government neglected Questacon for a decade of, in Ms Gallagher’s words, “underfunding, underinvestment, swept under the carpet, ignored”.
“Under the Coalition government, national institutions, including Questacon, were not getting the level of support required for their longer-term future and growth,” Mr Husic said.
The funding, he maintains, will ensure Questacon “remains state-of-the-art and … a focal point in educating young Australians”.
“This is a serious investment by the Albanese government in terms of being able to inspire and support the development of the next generation of talent,” Mr Husic said.
Which will be vital if Labor is to meet its target of 1.2 million tech-related jobs by 2030.
“Many of the Australian Government’s decisions are informed by science, and that starts with ensuring our nationally beloved home of science and technology is well taken care of,” Mr Husic said.
Last month, Ms Gallagher announced that Labor would invest $535.3 million in nine national collecting institutions over the next four years.
The finance minister said yesterday that Labor had uncovered more than $5 billion worth of unfunded and terminating programs that need ongoing funding, from the Radioactive Waste Energy and the Digital Health Agency to national parks and services for veterans – totalling $9 billion, including $4 billion uncovered last year.
