Leading tech Academy welcomes Productivity Roundtable announcement

National productivity is most effectively powered by innovation, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) said today, following the Prime Minister's announcement of the Productivity Roundtable.

To achieve its potential, ATSE said the Roundtable should keep innovation at its heart – and applied scientists, technologists and engineers as its key advisors – if it is to succeed in making lasting positive changes to Australian economic productivity.

ATSE’s network of more than 900 of Australia’s leading innovation experts is a national resource of industry captains, academic and government leaders, and knowledge holders. Independent advice from ATSE Fellows has been shaping policy and informing the national agenda for 50 years.

ATSE CEO Kylie Walker said, “Recognising innovation as the powerhouse of our national productivity can turn the dial on our future prosperity. To transform Australia into a more productive, robust, sustainable and clever country, we need to take advantage of the insights and expertise of our innovation leaders. The Academy’s Fellowship is an indispensable knowledge bank that can lead to robust, well-informed policy making.”

“We are ready to bring our cross-sector, multi-disciplinary connections to this Roundtable, in order to create a productive and advanced Australia.”

ATSE welcomes the Productivity Roundtable as an important moment to reset Australian economic levers for decades to come. Roundtable priorities announced by Prime Minister Albanese are core to ATSE’s expertise, in energy and housing construction, skills and education, and artificial intelligence, among others.

Over the past year, ATSE has provided direct advice to government on the technological readiness of nuclear Small Modular Reactors, practical ways to boost Australian research and development, options for decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure, and recommendations for providing students with effective science and technology education.

Making the most of the Productivity Roundtable will require input from diverse participants covering policy, business, education and more. ATSE sits at the intersection of applied science, practical solutions and technological innovation. ATSE and its Fellows are ideally placed to support the creation and implementation of productivity initiatives across the country.