Science minister Ed Husic has dangled a $100 million upgrade to Perth’s largest science education centre if the Albanese government is re-elected, but says it will be up to the state Labor government to meet it on funding.
The potential $100 million upgrade of Scitech, which opened its doors in 1988 and today counts more than 300,000 visitors a year, would be aimed at inspiring more young people into STEM careers.
“From our point of view, this is not just investing in bricks and mortar, it’s investing in WA minds,” Mr Husic told ABC radio on Thursday.
“The young people that go through that get that curiosity developed, get that spark of interest in science or engineering or tech, and then go on to do great things and join the ranks of great WA scientists.”
SciTech has yo-yoed from profit to loss in recent years, including a net loss last year of $1.5 million.
The not-for profit organisation receives around $9 million a year from the state government. Private partners, like current majors Chevron, Rio Tinto and Woodside, also contribute around $2 million.
Scitech also generates multi-million-dollar annual income from tickets sales for its science centre and exhibition rentals.
But the federal government has not been a major supporter traditionally, contributing only around $200,000 in grants a year.
These federal contributions could rise quickly, with Labor on Thursday announcing that “WA icon Scitech is set for a major upgrade, with a re-elected Albanese Labor Government to invest $100 million in the centre and grow the next generation of STEM talent”.
The federal funding would “support” a “new state-of-the-art facility” with activities for children and young people across the state, the announcement said.
But when asked if the federal government is footing the entire bill for the upgrade, Mr Husic said no, suggesting the upgrade could cost significantly more and hinge on the Cook government also chipping in.
How much the state puts in will “be up to them to work out”, Mr Husic said.
“What we’re doing is we’re saying to the WA Government, who are thinking a lot about Scitech and other bodies and other parts of Perth, we’re saying we value, as a federal government, the work of Scitech,” he told ABC radio.
“We want to be able to contribute in what might happen long term.”
A factor in the federal government’s potential backing is that Western Australian families are seven times less likely to visit the national science and technology centre Questacon in Canberra than those from other parts of the country.
The Albanese government in 2023 increased its funding to Questacon after major private partner Shell ended its 37-year relationship with the national centre.
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