It gives me great pleasure to award the 2008 Prime Minister's Prize for Science to Professor Ian Frazer.
The award and $300,000 grant recognises Professor Frazer's ground-breaking work in the creation of vaccines which protect against the virus that causes cervical cancer. Two of these, Gardasil and Cervarix, are now available commercially.
Every year, approximately 230,000 women worldwide die from cervical cancer - Professor Frazer's work provides invaluable protection against cervical cancer and makes an enormous contribution to the health of women around the world.
In collaboration with the late Jian Zhou, Professor Frazer created virus-like particles using proteins from the shell of the human papilloma virus. This breakthrough led to the development of the vaccines which prevent infection from the virus responsible for most cervical cancers.
Professor Frazer is also developing two further two vaccines, now in clinical trials, which are designed to treat women who have already been infected with the virus.
To extend the reach and benefits of the vaccines, Professor Frazer and his team are working to make them available in developing countries. He and his colleagues are currently working in Vanuatu and Nepal to understand how best to establish and run much-needed vaccination programs.
I also award the $50,000 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools to Adelaide teacher Bronwyn Mart.
Ms Mart has developed an innovative approach to teaching science which capitalises on children's natural curiosity about the world around them. Her results have demonstrated that science is important and interesting to primary school students and has a central role in the primary school curriculum.
And the $50,000 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools goes to Clay Reid, a teacher in South Australia's Clare Valley.
During a career spanning 20 years teaching science in secondary schools, Mr Reid has forged a reputation as a respected and inspirational teacher and leader, both in his rural community and in the wider science teaching community. A passion for the science of wine making has proved topical and popular with students in this famous wine making region.
These prizes remind us that Australia's innovation system is driven by great science and great science teachers.
It is part of the Australian psyche to question the world and to come up with new and better ways of doing things. Science is an integral part of that process.
Congratulations to all recipients of this year's prizes.