Innovation heads the agenda as COAG convenes
05 Nov 2015
Media release Innovation policy was at the top of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Industry and Skills Council meeting agenda today, as the Federal Government convened with the states and territories to discuss a range of important issues facing the nation.
The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said innovation was at the heart of the nation’s continued growth, and innovation policy was the priority at today’s meeting.
“As we head towards the announcement of our innovation agenda in December it’s important that we look at any obstacle at any level of government,” Mr Pyne said.
“We will work with the states and territories to identify and remove any road blocks for Australian innovation by addressing any cross-jurisdictional issues which may be hindering innovation policy in Australia.
“This Government firmly believes that science and innovation underpin industry growth, drive business productivity and will improve our global competitiveness.”
The Industry Session of the COAG Industry and Skills Council discussed ways to identify potentially unnecessary or duplicate regulation and legislative frameworks that may be undermining the progress and growth of innovation in Australia.
“The Government will continue to support innovation through its many programmes, but we are always looking for new ideas and ways to continue to build on the innovation agenda which is gathering strong momentum,” Mr Pyne said.
Mr Pyne said the Government would also collaborate with the states and territories to introduce new mandatory Country of Origin food labels.
“The label changes will give consumers clearer and more meaningful information about the origin of food and, in the case of products made or grown in Australia, the proportion of Australian ingredients.
“The Government has already started consulting with state and territory governments on these proposed labelling reforms and we look forward to working cooperatively on this issue as the changes are bedded down.”