Morning Tea for the National Youth Science Forum

National Youth Science Forum Board Chair, Mr Andrew Metcalfe and Board members; CEO, Dr Melanie Bragg; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen; girls, boys and scientists.

I at once acknowledge the Traditional Owners and First Nations peoples of the lands on which we are gathered. I extend respectful greetings to Elders and emerging leaders.  

Welcome to Government House. May I say how impressed I am to see gathered here such an engaging and enthusiastic group of young people keenly interested in science.

It is also wonderful you have come from all over Queensland – not only Brisbane and our bigger cities but also our regional centres, and even a few of our neighbours from northern New South Wales too! We greatly appreciated the presence, too, of Queensland’s Chief Scientist, Professor Paul Bertsch, and the CEO of the Queensland Museum, Dr Jim Thompson. Welcome.

Students, congratulations on achieving your position to attend the National Youth Science Forum, a prestigious program in which more than 12,000 young scientists have participated over 35 years.

What a wonderful opportunity you will have in January to learn from leading scientists and engineers, visit laboratories and other sites, talk with entrepreneurs about what it takes to be successful in business today, and participate in debates about important issues.

Grasp the opportunity with both hands, embrace it, open your hearts and minds to learning all that you can.

You are fortunate to experience this program as part of a cohort of young scientists.

Your grouping may indeed be random, but these accidental collisions and chance encounters are often the beginning of not just friendships, but perhaps also future scientific discoveries and collaborations.

I urge you to connect with your fellows here and to work with each other. Who knows what you could achieve?

Students, I applaud your commitment to the sciences. It is indeed a noble pursuit.

Our society stands at the precipice of the next great revolution, where the lines between the physical, digital and biological will become increasingly blurred.

It is our scientists who will help navigate, and give clarity to, the inevitable changes in how we live, work and relate to one another.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your time at the National Youth Science Forum. Whether or not you choose a vocation in the sciences – and I sincerely hope you do, the friendships and collaborations formed at this Forum will open your eyes to the world of what is possible.

For now, please enjoy our hospitality as you meet your fellows and eagerly anticipate the National Youth Science Forum. Thank you.