Wednesday, 13 November 2024

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:32): (1239) My constituency question is to the Minister for Jobs and Industry, and it concerns the government’s approach to Melbourne’s tech sector and specifically the field of artificial intelligence. Many of my constituents have written to me about the importance of AI. It is unsurprising given Melbourne is home to 20 per cent of Australia’s AI startups and scale-ups. I note your Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs gave a well-covered speech yesterday at the National Tech Summit, in which she said ‘A1’ was transforming the economy and ‘A1’ would underpin our future society. Can the minister inform whether the government is committed to the A1 industry or whether AI, as in artificial intelligence, was really the driving force deserving the credit? Or perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs believes A1 Bakery, a fantastic Lebanese bakery chain in my electorate, will underpin our future society and growth.