When former Cabinet minister Ed Husic announced in March that the government had accepted all the recommendations of its Pathway to STEM Diversity Review, it came as a surprise to many – including his colleagues. The announcement was made before the policy had been agreed.
Mr Husic, who had been Industry and Science minister prior to the May election, accepted the 11 recommendations as government policy in a speech at the SouthStart conference in Adelaide.
Following the speech there was nothing. There was no formal written government response to the review. No media release. No response from the minister’s office to inquiries about the status of the ‘accepted recommendations’.
And then we learn this week that the government is still working through its response to the review “with care and consideration”.
It certainly looks like Mr Husic was freelancing on government policy, although he disputes this.
“We had everything lined up internally – all offices consulted and on board,” he responded to an inquiry from InnovationAus.com.
And yet, we now know that no decisions had been made.
It’s all a bit embarrassing for the government. The Pathway to STEM Diversity Review was announced in part a response to the Jobs and Skills Summit held after the Albanese government was elected to its first term in 2022.
It was handed to government in late 2023 and its findings made public in early 2024, a full year before Mr Husic made his surprise announcement that turned out to be premature.
Artificial intelligence is gaining prominence across mainstream new media. If anyone had not notice this before, the ABC’s 7.30 interview with Scott Farquhar that included an awkward discussion about AI and copyright will have caught their attention.
For a billionaire who really hasn’t done a lot of media, an interview with Sarah Ferguson on why tech giants should be allowed a free pass on copyright to train AI seemed like a high-risk strategy.
We will be hearing a lot more about AI during the Treasurer’s economic roundtable next week. It’s causing friction, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting a spit in the Labor caucus on the regulatory approach to AI and copyright.
Chief Opposition whip Aaron Violi says the infighting is not helpful, calling for a clear roadmap for AI regulation.
Meanwhile, our northern neighbor Indonesia is planning to put some chips on the table to build its own sovereign AI capability – outlining a plan to invest billions through a Sovereign AI Fund to be managed by the county’s sovereign wealth fund.
A couple of interviews worth listening to this week. Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro discussed the mechanisms that startups and SMEs can use to engage with Defence, and said there was a growing appetite harness entrepreneurial urgency in acquiring new capability.
And University of Technology Sydney chancellor Catherine Livingstone called for a system-level approach to recalibrating Australia’s business model ahead of the Treasurer’s economic roundtable.
Ms Livingstone has a lot to say about data centres, sovereign AI and the importance of building new industries that will drive Australian prosperity.
What’s been happening this week:
The tortured path of the STEM Diversity review – InnovationAus.com
Split in Albanese’s caucus as government moves to kill AI laws – SMH
Doctors demand AI oversight as Labor splits on regulation – InnovationAus.com
We need a clear roadmap on AI, not infighting – InnovationAus.com
Tech giants could be forced to reveal AI data – AFR
Could Australia benefit from the revolution in AI? (Scott Farquhar) – ABC
R&D carved out of ‘five pillars’ productivity inquiries – InnovationAus.com
Catherine Livingstone puts the case for system-level change – InnovationAus.com
The role of entrepreneurial urgency in Defence tech – InnovationAus.com
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