Well thank you very much Catherine, my ministerial colleagues Richard Alston and Peter McGauran and Senator Stott Despoja of the Australian Democrats, Geoff Garrett, Robin Batterham, ladies and gentlemen.
I remember my chemistry teacher too from Leaving Certificate days. I don't think he would have recalled me perhaps as well as yours would have recalled yours. But I often reflect at gatherings such as this that one of the real experiences I've had as Prime Minister is to chair the Science and Innovation Council and it has bought me into very close contact with Australia's scientific community and I hope in a small way I've made a contribution towards promoting the cause of science and innovation in Australia and bringing about the day when our science stars will be as well known and as well lauded as our sporting stars. And CSIRO of course has a very important role to play in that. It's been said before and it's become something of a clich‚ CSIRO is one of those great Australian icons and deservedly so because it's demonstrated, as its current chairman just indicated, that extraordinary Australian capacity for adaptability and innovation.
We are entitled as a nation to reflect on our strength, as well as from time to time as we so often so a little too much I think on occasions bewail our weaknesses. And one of the great strengths of Australians, and it's been demonstrated again over recent weeks with our involvement in Iraq is the extraordinary capacity of Australians to a adapt and to innovate. We have a capacity to do that I believe beyond most other highly educated nations and in a sense a metaphor for that, in the science world for decades, has been CSIRO. And it's therefore no surprise to me that in response to the decision we took at the end of last year for the first time as a Government to identify some of these key priority areas in research that within very rapid order we see CSIRO producing its Flagship initiatives. And that is what today's launch is about and it is appropriate that it be held here and I want to thank BHP Billiton, the world headquarters of BHP Billiton, I want to thank Mr Goodyear for hosting this gathering because BHP Billiton has been a great partner of Australian science and Australian innovation in its various manifestations over the years.
I think as the Chief Executive waxed very eloquent with the shipping example, I think I was waiting for a reference to more bunkering facilities as the metaphor went on. But can I say that the energy that you have bought Geoff to the leadership of CSIRO and the way in which as an organisation it's refashioned itself and it has undertaken as Robin say that very important cultural change. All institutions have got to do that if they are to survive. And certainly in the world in which we now live. I think science is given a more important place in our community now than was the case a decade ago. But there's still a long way to go, a long long way to go. And we won't always at a government level get those things right, but we'll try and do so. But what is tremendously important is that once again CSIRO has responded, it's identified some Flagships and I congratulate it for that. I wish these initiatives well, I thank the science community, I thank CSIRO for the contribution it's making to the national wellbeing, and long may it continue to do so and I have great pleasure in joining you in launching this and continuing the nautical analogy.
Thank you.
[ends]