MICHAEL ROWLAND: Lots of details are starting to emerge ahead of next week's Federal Budget. The second for the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers. One of the announcements we do know about this morning is $60 million to upgrade the National Science and Technology Centre, Questacon. And the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic joins us now from Canberra. Minister, good morning.

ED HUSIC, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE: Hello, Michael. How are you?

MICHAEL ROWLAND: Very well, thank you. Now, what will this money do?

ED HUSIC: Well, importantly, Questacon is not just a monument to relieved parents, it attracts nearly half a million visitors a year, 150,000 of which are school kids. And what that does, importantly for the longer term benefit of the nation, is spark an interest in science and technology, which for the future of our economy and community, we need to have those skills present. And being able to get in young school children that appetite for problem-solving, using science and technology to do it, is really critical. 

But over the years, Questacon hasn't had the investment put in it by previous governments to be able to ensure that the building is fit for purpose and that the exhibits are modernised and interactive. And so what we're going to be announcing in the Federal Budget is a $60 million investment in Questacon to make sure that this iconic institution can do what it really does in a very clear and important way, which, as I said earlier, is inspire the next generation of science and tech talent for the country.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: Because we do need more kids studying science, certainly more adults studying science. So, how much do you hope this will go towards achieving that goal?

ED HUSIC: Well, if we can obviously ensure that the building, which by many reports was starting to wear, there were issues with safety, it needed to be attended to. The exhibits, as I said, also needed to be upgraded as well, because that's part of that interactive experience with the 150,000 school students that visit each year, being able to have those at a quality that is important, that is all really critical. 

And what we faced under the previous Coalition government with our national institutions is a funding mess. Now, we're facing a fiscal cliff in many respects, we want to be able to attend to that. So, we've done two things, Michael, besides what we've announced or what we're likely to announce in this budget. 

We also ensured too, that Questacon could take its work on the road too, to get to parts of the country that might find it difficult to get to Canberra. And so we've also invested more in the outreach side of things. So, in different parts of the country, Questacon can spark that interest and ensure that we've got young people who not only visit Questacon, but out in our outer suburbs and in our regions interested, and so that we can build that pipeline of talent, longer term. 

We do face really critical skill shortages in science and technology. We are dependent increasingly on trying to bring talent in from overseas and we've got to be able to look at how we can develop the next generation of talent and also hold on to talent in the workforce as well. Because you do find that people tend to leave and go on to other jobs and that's an issue for us longer term too.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: All eyes turn to next week's Budget. We have news out this morning. The government is reviewing hundreds of infrastructure projects. What's going on there?

ED HUSIC: I think there's a recognition that, again, the previous government, the way that they did business, was to make the announcement, get all the hoopla and get all the attention and then you had to question whether or not there was delivery. In my part of Western Sydney, this is a really big issue. 

We've had state governments, particularly the former government, make a big deal about all these new homes that they would be building, they'd scoop up all the stamp duty and then there'd be lags in infrastructure. We need governments to work better in delivering infrastructure that makes a difference, not just in moving people easier, but attracting jobs, industry in our outer suburbs and regions. 

And so being able to take a critical view about the way in which those projects have been not just announced, but have they been delivered and what's been required to make them a reality is really important. And that's why Infrastructure Minister King, Catherine King, has announced this and I certainly welcome it as a Western Sydney representative that is keen to see more practical, concrete infrastructure delivered for people that are forced to deal with congestion and really substandard infrastructure. When you look at the rising population of the outer suburbs.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: Now, before you go, the number of Labor MPs, your colleagues there in Canberra calling for a rise in the JobSeeker payment has gone from initially four, then it was eight, now it's well north of 12 and seems to be growing every day. Do you think there should be a rise in the JobSeeker payment?

ED HUSIC: Well, I certainly respect what is driving the motivation for a lot of my backbench colleagues. I understand why they've got an interest in it and we certainly understand that longer term, being able to lift the incomes of some of the lowest income people in the country is really important. 

We've got a Budget that's coming up next week that we want to be able to stabilise and clearly reduce the size of the deficit, look longer term to what we do to debt, and make sure we do it in a way that invests in our people in the country's people and also, obviously, thinking longer term about industry and jobs, but providing support for people that need it at their times, most really important. 

We've said that we'll take on board a lot of the advice that we are getting and be able to structure something. Clearly, you just can't rush something in for the sake of a budget now, this requires a lot of moving parts to be considered, and we'll look at that, but clearly it's something that is registered within the minds of government. We've got some short-term measures that we're looking to announce to be able to give people cost of living relief. But there is a longer term consideration that needs to be given, clearly, and we will do that in due course.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: Okay Minister. I appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

ED HUSIC: Thanks, Michael.

ENDS