REBECCA LEVINGSTON, HOST: However, a special guest has just called into the programme because he is in Brisbane today and it ties in nicely with you, the Minister for Science, Ed Husic. Minister, good morning.

ED HUSIC, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE: Hi, Rebecca. And pass on my best wishes to Dr Karl as well.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Well, you can do it right now because you're together on the radio. Haven't you two met before?

ED HUSIC: Oh terrific. No, we haven't had the chance to spend time, but as most Australians are, I’m a big admirer of Dr Karl, so.

DR KARL KRUSZELNICKI: I look forward to having a cup of tea with you when we meet. And what's your big announcement today, Minister?

ED HUSIC: Well, I think there's the development of a group of technologies that a lot of people every day wouldn't necessarily know is a big deal. But when they eventually make their mark, everyone's going to wonder about this overnight success story that took years in development, and that's quantum technology. 

And it will have profound impacts, particularly in terms of quantum computing and what it'll be able to help us deal with, and some of the biggest problems that we're trying to deal with. That type of effort, we're in this global race to develop these technologies. 

And today in Queensland, I'm joining my state government counterpart, Meaghan Scanlon, at the Uni of Queensland. We're opening some new quantum physics laboratories. But labs are one thing. The key thing about labs is the people within them. So, there'll be about 175 researchers and 90 students that will go through those labs. And I'm also announcing today funding for additional PhD places in quantum technologies through the CSIRO and some other work to develop talent. 

We need this sort of leading-edge talent that will obviously contribute to the development of the technology, but longer term, it's a really big deal for the economy. It's been estimated that by 2040, the CSIRO reckons quantum technologies could be 6 billion as an industry and employ nearly 20,000 people in really key jobs. So, it's a big announcement for Queensland, but it's just as big for the nation.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Can I ask Minister a really basic question? Quantum physics, quantum technology or computing? You say it's a really big deal. What is it? What's a practical implication of quantum technology?

ED HUSIC: So, quantum, I'll give this at a very basic level and someone who's in the know will hear this and go, well, you're being too basic on this

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Dr Karl might add to it. He's not shy, but go on. 

ED HUSIC: Well, yeah, I'm more than happy - now you put me under pressure. But classic computing basically moves data around with an on-off switch, right? Quantum computing is on, off and on and off. At the same time, it moves data around and is able to crunch data phenomenally much more data and quicker than what we currently do. 

So, if you pair that up with AI, and what AI is already able to do in terms of, for example, the discovery of new medicines, if we're able to do this at a greater level, what it can be applied to from medicines and other applications. Solving the big problems that have escaped us with classic computing at the moment, is huge. And when we've had these big step changes in computing power, it's made a big difference. 

In the last 20 years, for example, AI was able to develop once we were able to get that improvement in processing power, changes in approaches, use of neural networks. This has all been really big on changing the way that technology works. Quantum sensing, for example, allows us to be able to detect and is being used, for instance, in water utilities right now in Australia, in detecting false cracks in water networks that conventional technology might take a bit longer to be able to find. So, it's all this stuff that we're trying to support. 

And also, if I can say, Rebecca, so that we don't have people leaving the country because they don't think the support's there. We've got, which just came through the Parliament, a National Reconstruction Fund of which one billion dollars will be set aside as the capital to help these firms grow. The announcements we're making today is about the human capital side, the Australians, their know-how that can be applied and help us be at the forefront of this global race on quantum technologies. 

So, in Queensland, and when I go around and I visit different parts of the world, the esteem, the regard that Queenslanders are held in for the contributions they're making in technology, we want to be able to keep driving that longer term.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Yeah, well, can I make a big leap from that? And maybe I'll throw this to you, Dr Karl. I mean, the Minister, Ed Husic, saying there that quantum technology can be used in things like the development of new medicines. We've been all very focused on how quickly and incredibly the COVID vaccine was developed that was much faster than in any time in history. Is quantum technology, Dr Karl, something that might be used, I don't know, to cure cancer at some stage?

KARL KRUSZELNICKI: What it does is give you incredible speed. So, the Minister was perfectly correct when he said that normal computers work on a one or a nought and each data bit is a one or a nought. The quantum physicist will yell at me for saying this, but in a quantum computer, you can deal with one and nought at the same time, but also all of the infinite number of numbers between one and nought. 

So, instead of just doing one thing and the next and the next, you can do what they call parallel processing. And so a problem that might take five times the age of the universe to solve. With today's computers, you could do in a minute. And that means you can look, they're already using, for example, working out what shapes proteins have, and that was a big jump through. So, what it means is super-fast computing. Just super, super fast. And by the way, it sounds crazy, but it's real. Your phone wouldn't work without it.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: All right, well, we all need phones. It seems we're addicted to them. All right. So, Minister Ed Husic. You're at UQ today? Is that where you're going to be making this announcement formally?

ED HUSIC: That's right.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Well, consider this your formal introduction to Dr Karl, and vice-versa. 

ED HUSIC: Thank you Dr Karl.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: And, look, if there's anyone the Federal Science Minister should make some time to meet with, it's got to be Dr Karl. So, tee up a chat at some point, please.

ED HUSIC: 100 per cent. Thanks for bringing us together, Rebecca, and all the best to you, Dr Karl.

KARL KRUSZELNICKI: Thank you, Dr Minister.

ED HUSIC: Sorry, if I may make this point, it's really important that we have people that can break down the complexity of science and establish the value in the broader public's mind of Australian science and Australian know-how. And Dr Karl, I'm sorry. Obviously, you may bristle a bit at the compliments and be a bit modest about it, but it is really important we have people like Dr Karl out there being able to do that, explain science, explain its importance and encourage, importantly, the next generation of Australians to be able to apply their talent and energy to scientific endeavour. It's really important. So, thank you, Dr Karl.

KARL KRUSZELNICKI: You're too sweet. 

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Thank you, Minister. Enjoy your time in Brisbane and we'll catch up again soon. Appreciate it.

ED HUSIC: Absolutely. Best wishes to you both. Bye bye.

REBECCA LEVINGSTON: Ed Husic, the Federal Minister for Industry and Science.

ENDS