LUCY WICKS:       

It’s an absolute privilege to have the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science here this morning. We’ve met with some incredible experts, I think in their fields from the University of Newcastle, business entrepreneurs here on the Central Coast, representatives from Council and of course the Central Coast Area Health Service.

And what we’ve been discussing is how we actually leverage the considerable investment that is being made as we speak, into delivering a world class Central Coast Medical School and Medical Research Institute, which in and of itself is going to be connected with some of the best universities in the world, including Cambridge and Oxford and other universities.

How we actually leverage a globally connected, but locally focused institute here in Gosford to create more industry, more jobs, more opportunities for people here on the Central Coast.

We already know that our young kids are being equipped now, as we speak, in primary school for jobs of the future. I look at some of the things that are happening at Woodport Public School for instance, where they’re doing 3D printing. They’re doing computer coding.

Where kids at Copacabana are building robots and they’re in primary school. What are the jobs of the future going to look like for them in 10 and 15 years’ time?

My passion as the Member for Robertson, and I think it’s something that’s shared by everybody here in the Central Coast, is to know that those jobs are available, not just in Sydney or Newcastle, but right here in the heart of Gosford.

And that’s exactly what we’ve been talking about today. And Greg is going to talk a little further about the outcome of those discussions.

I’d like to say thank you Greg for being here, and for your incredible support for this region, and your understanding of what innovation means for a region like the Central Coast.

GREG HUNT:         

Thanks very much to Lucy, and let me say this, that our task in being here is to help with the three waves of jobs that can come from the medical school and the medical research institute here on the Central Coast.

First is the construction jobs, and they’re happening right now behind us. And that’s jobs for tradies. It could be in brick laying, plastering, it could be plumbing, electrical work, painting, so many different forms of the construction sector.

Second, there’s the 750 jobs that will be associated with the medical school once it’s up and running as of 2019. And that’s of benefit to the community in terms of employment.

Of course it’s all of the health benefits which come from having a medical school, with training, with the clinical trials, with the treatment that happens on site, and then throughout the community.

But the third wave of jobs is something that we’ve started today. And that’s for establishing a world class medical technology precinct around the hospital, and the medical school, and the research institute.

I am delighted to announce that the Commonwealth will convene a Medical Precinct Taskforce for the Central Coast.

What does it mean? It means about bringing the private sector together. It means we’re bringing the local government, the university, the hospital and people who are currently working in the health space, along with Lucy Wicks, chaired by Lucy, to build a five year plan for a medical precinct over and above what would be there with the hospital and the medical school, and the medical research institute.

JOURNALIST:        

So its task will be what, exactly then?

GREG HUNT:         

So it is going to have four roles. One is to set out the key areas that the private sector can build upon, such as aged care, such as gerontology, such as advanced medical device manufacture, things that really build off existing strengths of the Central Coast and the natural demographics.

Two is to make sure that there are the physical spaces available. Three is to attract investment, the actual capital.

And four is to ensure that we have the right partnerships and people that want to set up the businesses.

Now, they could be new small businesses such as a small medical device manufacturer. At University of Wollongong I recently saw small 3D printers being created by 14 young people who'd established their own business.

That's the sort of thing that could happen here, or you could be attracting a campus, an R&D campus for a Merck or a Pfizer or one of the great global medical firms, or an Australian firm such as CSL or ResMed or Cochlear.

So that's the task. We will be establishing a Medical Precinct Taskforce, Lucy Wicks will be the chair of it, and I think this is about the next big thing, the third wave of jobs. The future on the Central Coast is looking pretty bright on a day like today.

JOURNALIST:        

Is this modelled on anything, or is this sort of a first of its kind?

GREG HUNT:         

No, this is an Australian pilot. So this is, as part of my role, the first such precinct taskforce. The universities are, around the world, a driver of growth.

It's happening in Australia, but I don't think we've done enough of it in terms of government university partnerships, and so I wanted to establish a pilot, and the national pilot for university precinct taskforces is here in the Central Coast, announced today to be chaired by Lucy.

QUESTION: 

So does the taskforce sort of reach out to pharmaceutical companies, researchers, or does it attract, or do both?

GREG HUNT:         

It does both, because we'll bring the Commonwealth Medical Technology and Pharmaceutical Growth Centre, they will be part of it.

AusIndustry, which is the public facing arm of the Department of Industry will be part of it. Bring all of those together with the university, which of course as the owner of the medical school will be the driving force, and I've got to say you are blessed to have the University of Newcastle, it's just such a forward thinking, forward looking, active university.

JOURNALIST:        

Is there a time frame?

GREG HUNT:         

So well the taskforce has been convened as of today, and their job will be to deliver the five year plan, and they'll provide regular updates through Lucy.

JOURNALIST:        

So how often will you meet, like when will the first meeting be?

GREG HUNT:         

Look I expect that they will have the first meeting within two months, then subsequently they'll set their own time frames, but they have six months to deliver the five year plan.

JOURNALIST:        

I don't know whether I know much about this, but only last week the Premier was up here announcing a firm $100 million of investment going into the region but for an aeronautical aerospace business up at Warnervale. They've received an R&D certificate, which I guess is upgrading the Albatross aircraft. Are you able to comment on that, or your thoughts about that?

GREG HUNT:         

Sure, so there are two things here. Firms apply under what's called the R&D tax incentive to be able to seek credit, and then they do that through the tax system, so obviously tax records are a matter for the ATO.

This has only just been issued, I think it was issued in May, and then they have until April next year to put in their first application to be recognised. So that's done through the Australian Taxation Office.

So what we've done is opened the door. It’s then up to the firm to come through that door.

JOURNALIST:

And what's the process? Do they have to show what their plans are and that sort of thing to become eligible? How does that work?

GREG HUNT:         

Well they've actually shown that on the face of it, their proposed activity is eligible, then through the tax process, the elements are then how much have they invested in terms of ensuring that they've actually made this investment to attract what's called a tax offset, and then secondly that their activity has been completed and is compliant.