In August 2018, Karen was appointed to the Morrison Government Cabinet as Minister for Industry, Science & Technology.
She comes to the role as a strong advocate of Science and having worked closely with Australian Industry to develop our nation’s skills base.
One of the first females to graduate as an engineer from the University of Queensland in 1983, Karen has long championed the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in education and training. She is a tireless advocate of STEM as a means of driving innovation and preparing people for the jobs of the future.
Karen has a practical track record of working closely with Australian industry and businesses in developing the vocational sector to ensure Australians can gain the skills and training they need to enrich their lives and enhance the national economy.
Copies of Karen’s portfolio media releases can be accessed at her Ministerial website.
Previous Australian of the Year Professor Michelle Simmons will help steer Australia’s national science agency, with the quantum physicist among a series of appointments to the CSIRO board. Professor Simmons has been appointed for five years. Chairman David Thodey AO has been reappointed Chairman of the Board for 12 months. Kathryn Fagg AO has been…
DetailsConstruction has officially launched on the Australian Space Discovery Centre and state-of-the-art Mission Control Centre to inspire the next generation of Australia’s space workforce. Located in the innovation precinct of Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, the Australian Space Discovery Centre will showcase interactive space exhibits and a careers hub. Mission Control will provide facilities for space…
DetailsA free COVID-19 vaccine will be available progressively throughout 2021 in Australia, if promising trials prove successful, following a $1.7 billion supply and production agreement between the Australian Government and pharmaceutical companies. Under the agreement, the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca and the University of Queensland/CSL will provide more than 84.8 million vaccine doses for the Australian…
DetailsProfessor Lisa Harvey-Smith will continue her important work as the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador for an additional two years. Professor Harvey-Smith has played a central role in the Government’s efforts to encourage girls and women to study and work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) since her appointment as the inaugural Ambassador…
DetailsInventors of a system which can detect bushfires in minutes will share in more than $5 million from the Morrison Government to roll out the technology here at home and overseas. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said Fireball International’s innovative sensor system is among 12 projects being backed to take on new…
DetailsThe Morrison Government is rocketing Australian businesses into the space supply chain with $25.7 million to grow their capability, create jobs and take part in NASA’s inspirational mission to travel to the Moon and Mars. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the Supply Chain Capability Improvement grants will fuel opportunities for local…
DetailsThe Morrison Government is helping strengthen supply chains that will make Australian industry more resilient, with Major Project Status granted to a mineral processing facility in Western Australia that will create hundreds of jobs. BCI Minerals’ Mardie Salt and Potash Project, located about 100km south-west of Karratha, is expected to produce more than 4 million…
DetailsWorld-first research funded by the Morrison Government is paving the way for a critical forecasting service that could provide warnings of marine heatwaves months in advance. Minister for Environment Sussan Ley said the $300,000 joint research project by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, was an important step towards providing Australia’s marine industries with advanced…
DetailsThe Morrison Government is further investing in research that will transform Australia’s waste recycling industry to improve the environment, grow the economy and create new jobs. $10 million will be made available in the latest round of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants program for projects that provide innovative solutions for the recycling and…
DetailsAustralians will be among the first in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, if it proves successful, through an agreement between the Australian Government and UK-based drug company AstraZeneca. Under the deal, every single Australian will be able to receive the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for free, should trials prove successful, safe and…
DetailsThe Australian Government has given the all clear to Japan’s space agency to land its capsule carrying samples from a 4.5 billion year old asteroid in the South Australian outback. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews has formally approved the return of JAXA’s Hayabusa2 near Woomera later this year. “I am delighted to…
DetailsThis year’s National Science Week will embrace the problem-solving spirit of Australia’s science community, with even COVID-19 unable to stop celebrations beginning tomorrow. More than 1100 events are happening across Australia, many of them online, including Australia’s biggest satellite selfie, virtual tours of Great Southern Reef marine life and exploring wildlife in your own backyard…
DetailsAustralia and the United States have strengthened their long and productive collaborative history with a senior-level dialogue on science and frontier technologies. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews, who virtually met with White House officials yesterday, said the two nations were committed to increasing cooperation in science and technology. “There are enormous opportunities…
DetailsThe Morrison Government’s vaccine and treatment strategy is set to take another positive step forward, with the Government putting a call out to local manufacturers as part of our preparations to produce a future vaccine and treatments for COVID-19. The request for information builds on the Government’s $333 million investment in vaccine, treatment and therapeutic…
DetailsThe Morrison Government is working with the NRL to combat counterfeit merchandise, with the trial of an innovative new digital app. The NRL is piloting the ‘Trust Badge’ on two of its official online merchandise stores as part of IP Australia’s Smart Trade Mark initiative. The Badge verifies the websites to help consumers identify authentic…
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