Friday, 14 November 2025

 Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (21:36): (2127) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. The Australian Synchrotron in Clayton, Melbourne, is an incredibly valuable research institute here in Melbourne. It was an investment that the Victorian government started around 2007 and was supported by successive governments, and then, under probably sensible planning at the time, it was transferred to federal control and federal funding about 11 years ago. Why is it so important? It is incredibly important because it is not just an advanced research centre – one of the very few in the Southern Hemisphere and one of only two in Australia; it creates an ecosystem, an ecosystem of research and an ecosystem of jobs for advanced science. We attract talent to the state because of this institution. Advanced manufacturing benefit from it. They can go and do their experiments and do tests at this centre. It is actually a centre for the development of health science as well. A number of really important, fascinating research elements come along with the synchrotron.

The problem we have now is that the federal government are cutting a significant amount of its budget, such that it is going to have to close 20 per cent of the lines that it runs. In doing so, that means they are going to have to let go of scientists as well. Whilst you can mothball the lines and turn them back on again, you cannot simply get that calibre of scientists to come and work here, and you cannot recreate the ecosystem of research that you have created over 18 years of having this centre. The loss is bad for industry and bad for science, but to be more specific, it is bad for industry and science in Victoria. It is bad for our place as an advanced manufacturing hub and as an advanced medicine hub, so it is absolutely in the state’s interest that we do not allow this to happen.

Whilst it is a federal funding issue, this government has certainly been willing to invest through Breakthrough Victoria and the SEC, and it has been willing to invest in all sorts of things supposedly for research and innovation purposes. This is an absolutely spot-on eligible entity we should be preserving. The consequences will magnify if we do not. It is not a significant amount that is needed. I urge the minister to engage with the administration of the synchrotron and work out if we can get a short-term funding package so that we can keep those lines open.