STA WELCOMES REVIEW TO DRIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR DIVERSITY

TUESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2022

Australia’s leading voice for scientists and technologists welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of a review to drive stronger gains on diversity in the sector and its workforce. 

Science & Technology Australia is a champion for equity, diversity and inclusion in the science, technology, engineering and maths sector.

Science & Technology Australia CEO Misha Schubert welcomed Science Minister Ed Husic’s announcement of a review which “would help Australia to reach further into the full breadth of our diverse talent pool in this country”.

The review will look at structural and cultural barriers to the participation of women and other under-represented groups to recommend change – and help identify the most effective programs at driving diversity gains in the sector so they can be scaled up to propel faster progress.

“To truly prosper, Australia’s economy urgently needs to attract and retain more women, First Nations people, regional Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with a disability and Australians from low socio-economic backgrounds into science and technology careers,” Ms Schubert said.

“To make major strides to address chronic gender inequity in sectors where that under-representation is most acute, you need consistent strong leadership, long-term investments at scale, strong buy-in, and a powerful resolve to drive cultural change.”

“STA has a strong commitment to publish detailed evaluations on our programs to share insights on what is working – and help speed broader equity gains in the science and technology sector for women and the breadth of Australia’s diverse communities.” 

“We’re pleased the review will also look at cultural and structural barriers that limit participation and retention of women and other under-represented groups in STEM professions.”

“To create the “future powered by science” envisaged by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, we need to be able to draw on Australia’s full talent pool. Clear action to eliminate barriers to participation for women and under-represented groups are key to that goal.”

STA runs the acclaimed Superstars of STEM program – backed by Australian Government – which builds the profile and confidence of diverse women role models to appear regularly as prominent science and technology experts in the media and speak in schools, inspiring our next generations of diverse young Australians into STEM.

The program has started to stratospherically elevate the profiles of stellar women in science. In the year to June 2021 alone, our Superstars of STEM did 4000 media appearances, reached an audience of 83 million people, and inspired 21,000 students in school visits.

About Science & Technology Australia
Science & Technology Australia is the nation’s peak body representing more than 90,000 scientists and technologists. We’re the leading policy voice on science and technology. Our  flagship programs include Science meets Parliament, Superstars of STEM, and STA STEM Ambassadors.  

Media contact: Martyn Pearce, STA: 0432 606 828