Reshuffle

It is a great honour for me to accept the Prime Minister's offer to become the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Leader of the Government in the House of Representatives in the first Turnbull Ministry.

Having served for five years as Shadow Minister and then two years as Minister for Education and Training, I am delighted by this new opportunity to serve in an economic portfolio that is central to the future of our nation.

There has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian, as the Prime Minister has said.

With a sweeping tide of new disruptive technologies that will entirely transform the way we live and the way we work, Australian industry must continue to lead the world in research and innovation, ensuring our nation can seize the opportunities ahead.

We have the researchers, the universities, the institutions such as CSIRO, Questacon and others who are world leading. We have Cooperative Research Centres and Industry Growth Centres and a very wide range of collaborative ventures around the globe. We have a major agenda in the commercialisation of research outcomes.

We have the technical capacity and capability to remain a nation with industries that offer the jobs of the 21st century. As Minister I will be working with industry and our institutions to continue on this course and look forward to the challenges ahead.