The Project

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Interview - The Project with Waleed Aly, Carrie Bickmore, Steve Price and Anthony Lehmann
Monday 7 December 2015

SUBJECT: National Innovation and Science Agenda.

CARRIE BICKMORE: And we're joined by the fixer himself, Minister for Innovation, Christopher Pyne. Now, Minister, $1 billion for innovation. I mean, there are so many areas that need funding at the moment. I mean, how do you sell the idea of giving money for start-ups that might not go anywhere?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well, because it's a massive, positive announcement about the future of our economy, Carrie, and I think the public recognise that following the resources boom, the new boom is the ideas boom. Young people in particular understand that. This is a big, transformative agenda which I think will lead to jobs and growth, and I think the public will embrace it.

STEVE PRICE: So, Minister Fixer, you can put your hand on your heart, can you, and tell us that this is all new money that Scott Morrison, the Treasurer, has handed over to you…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:Absolutely.

STEVE PRICE: …$1 billion? You're not cutting any projects or plans anywhere else out of the budget?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: This is new money, and next week in the MYEFO, you'll see how it's paid across the whole of government. But it's new money in industry, innovation and science. There are no savings measures in the announcement today, because Malcolm doesn't want to skimp on the future of our economy.

WALEED ALY: So, just to be clear, then, you've said no cuts were announced today to fund this. Will there be in the future?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well, there won't be any savings measures next week in industry, innovation and science, but I'm not going to explain how it's paid for across the whole of government, because really, it's kind of besides the point…

WALEED ALY: Well, no, no, Minister, it’s not- I appreciate the point you're making about innovation and growth and jobs and that's all very important. I don't deny that. But it isn't beside the point, because we've been talking about a budget emergency for a very long time. Deloitte recently put out a statement- some analysis. They crunched the numbers and said going off current figures, we are never returning to surplus. We need to be getting this money from somewhere, it’s actually pretty important to figure that out. So…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Yes, Waleed and that's the Government- that’s the job of the Treasurer and next week, in the MYEFO, you'll see how it's paid for. But importantly, we're not robbing Peter to pay Paul in the Innovation and Science Agenda. This is a bold new agenda in innovation and science. It's new money and it's not being paid for by taking it out of another fund in the industry, innovation and science portfolio.

WALEED ALY: No, no, but it will come out of some other fund, won’t it? It’ll have to come out of some other area.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:Well, you'll see it in the MYEFO, Waleed, but the- today is not a day for pouring cold water on it…

WALEED ALY: Will you fix it? Is that what you're saying, you’re going to fix it at some point? We'll find out about it later?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:Well, I've certainly fixed the National Collaborative and Research Infrastructure Scheme, which had two years of funding, I've now got it 10 years of funding. So that interview on Sky with David Speers, which he and I won a Walkley for...

WALEED ALY: Has he shared that Walkley with you, by the way?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well, you know, this is the thing, today he's tried to loop me in to his Walkley today and I said well, this really belongs to me. We should share it six months each! But that was an interview about the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme and now I've fixed it for good.

CARRIE BICKMORE: Well, Minister, your new #IdeasBoom certainly is booming. It’s going off on Twitter today. I mean, are you genuinely thinking, though, that people are going to tweet their great ideas to you?

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well, I absolutely hope so. One of the things about the innovation sector is how enthusiastic everybody in it is, whether they are at Fishburners or all sorts of different places - incubators and accelerators across the country. Now, to some people, this seems esoteric but if you think about the agricultural sector, it's very innovative. So we have in this package support for incubators in rural and regional Australia so they can get the skills that they need to double and treble and quadruple the investment and the jobs that they’re creating.

ANTHONY LEHMANN: Well, it, #IdeasBoom certainly has been going off and I’ve got a couple of the tweets here that I can share with you, perhaps you guys can get on to them. Here’s one, a #IdeasBoom, a machine that translates dog into English…I think that's a wonderful idea. Someone has also said - electric pants is another…

WALEED ALY: Oh wow.

ANTHONY LEHMANN: …suggestion. Wouldn't electric pants be great?

WALEED ALY: Yes.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Depends what you want to use them for, I suppose…

ANTHONY LEHMANN: Someone has suggested we introduce marriage equality without an unnecessarily expensive plebiscite…

CARRIE BICKMORE: What an idea.

ANTHONY LEHMANN: Yeah, so there we go and someone else has suggested a 3-D printer for Walkley Awards…That could come in hand for you.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I always wanted to win an Academy Award. I don't think a Walkley Award is sufficient, so I've still got a way to go before it's over for me.

WALEED ALY: How about a Logie? You said you wanted a Logie.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I always wanted a Logie, but Carrie had the Logie, and she had two and she wouldn't share one of them with me…

CARRIE BICKMORE: Hey, just before we let you go…

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: …and I wore a beanie on national television, I still didn't get a Logie.

CARRIE BICKMORE: I do appreciate that but you weren't at my party yesterday, I might add.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:I wasn’t invited to your party.

CARRIE BICKMORE: No, I actually don't think I did invite you…but you’re welcome to come next time.

ANTHONY LEHMANN: This is awkward.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:This is awkward. Exactly.

CARRIE BICKMORE: Alright. Christopher Pyne, thank you so much for your time.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE:It's always a pleasure. Thank you…

ANTHONY LEHMANN: Mental note - add him to the invite list.

CARRIE BICKMORE: I'll add him to the invite list before I have a go at him for not coming to this party.

WALEED ALY: It’s a good principle to live by.

[Ends]