On Friday 27 February, Prof Haymet delivered a speech at the Royal Society of NSW annual dinner. 

I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the lands on which we meet – the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. 

I extend that respect to all Indigenous people here today – including Professor Bradley Moggridge of the Kamilaroi nation.

Congratulations on your award for work in water research, climate change and the integration of Indigenous knowledge and western science. 

Integrating Indigenous knowledge can enhance our scientific understanding and help build a stronger and more innovative research system. 

As a marine scientist, I’ve long had great respect for Indigenous aquaculture systems. There is important knowledge there that we can learn from. 

So, I warmly congratulate Bradley and all the award winners honoured tonight.

If you’re getting an award, take time to pause this evening – and savour this milestone.

Awards like these are profoundly important. They highlight your excellence and professional recognition. 

*** 

Innovation comes in many forms across Australia and has various definitions. For me, it simply means adopting approaches that are better than what came before.

Innovation is often about playing the long game. Which brings me to the longest game of all: cricket! 

Cricket is often caricatured as slow and old-fashioned. Author Bill Bryson joked about it being invented to make other sports look exciting.

In recent decades, cricket has been a laboratory for innovation.

Take Hawkeye – technology that models the flight of the ball and allows umpiring decisions to be challenged. It doesn't replace human judgment; it strengthens it. 

Add to that – player metrics and data analytics. They’ve redefined cricket strategies and selection.

*** 

So innovation comes in various flavours.

In this final week of February – back in 1837 – the first patent was granted for an electric motor. ^{1, 2, 3} 

Over time it became an almost invisible but essential enabler of other innovation. One that helped expand the boundaries of human discovery and knowledge. 

Innovations like that motor are game changers.

And so too: the printing press; the telephone; email, the internet, and the telegraph!  That chain of landlines and submarine cables could send a message from London to Adelaide in about seven hours. A remarkable feat – and one that had a significant impact on Australia’s productivity.

And let’s not forget the quiet achievers – innovations that don’t shout the loudest but still delivered transformative change.

For example, double-entry bookkeeping. 

It proved to be quietly revolutionary, delivering greater transparency and accountability. From its origins in Italy, it helped lay the foundations for modern capitalism and global commerce.⁴

Crucially, it was an innovation that accelerated productivity. 

And so too were antibiotics – a discovery that ensured workers and consumers lived longer and enjoyed better health. 

*** 

Innovation – in a wide array of forms – is a unifying theme among the winners honoured tonight.

Australia has a good story to tell when it comes to innovation – but it sometimes has a bitter-sweet ending.

In 2012, three University of Queensland professors set out to solve a deceptively simple problem – how to stabilise fragile viral proteins so vaccines could be made faster and more effectively.⁵

Their solution, called molecular clamp technology, quietly progressed for some years until Covid-19 thrust it into the spotlight. 

Despite early progress, this pandemic response project hit some technical setbacks – and the effort stumbled.

But the underlying science proved powerful. So much so, that years later the technology was sold in a $2.5 billion deal to an overseas pharmaceutical giant.

It’s a compelling story – world class science born here, proven here, but eventually commercialised elsewhere. 

***

Another great Australian discovery? The technology that delivers Wi-Fi! I’m sure you know the story but perhaps indulge me while I make my point.

It’s an innovation so far-reaching it is arguably on par with the creation of the electric motor.

Wi-Fi is a great example of blue-sky research paying off. In this case, the work of Australian radio astronomers at the CSIRO whose discovery underpinned the creation of what came to be known as Wi-Fi. 

It involved fundamental research using public science infrastructure. This example show why it is so important to nurture true innovation and blue-sky research. Without the stream of actual inventions it leads to – like Wi-Fi – productivity gains are a lot less likely. 

*** 

Your Royal Society knows that only too well. It is proudly cross-disciplinary – bringing together people from various professions and at various stages of careers – from young academics to those who’ve retired from paid employment. 

It’s a bit like a quiz night team: you need a mix of skills. You need that person who knows oceanography – and cricket trivia! 

Fortunately, collaboration is part of our scientific DNA in Australia. 

We are also good collaborators when it comes to translating scientific discoveries into game-changing, real-world innovations. Such as:

• the cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil
• the ‘black box’ flight recorder (it’s actually orange)
• and the Cochlear hearing implant. 

The electric motor, that I mentioned earlier, went on to become a great driver of innovation. 

For us in the decade ahead, another piece of technology will be a great driver of innovation – and an engine of discovery!

I’m talking about High Performance Computing and Data, or H-P-C-D for short. 

At its core, it brings together four things:

• powerful computing systems
• large-scale data storage
• fast networks and complex software
• and – critically – highly skilled people.

I’m pleased to inform you that Australia’s high-performance computing and data needs are currently being examined by the nation’s top science advisory body to the Prime Minister. 

We could talk a lot more about supercomputing, but as your President asks, let’s start the Q&A.

Thank you.

References:

¹ https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_703302

² https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/greatinv…

³ https://vermonthistory.org/journal/93/VH93_01_ThomasDavenportAndTheDrea…

⁴ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ehr.13358

⁵ https://news.uq.edu.au/2025-12-uq-scientific-excellence-reaches-global-…