Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA (Liverpool) (17:44): Earlier today I met with Robin Schuck and Dr Zoe Terpening from UNSW regarding their $700,000 investment in the Liverpool Health Tech Entrepreneurship Program to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators in south-west Sydney. UNSW has had a presence in Liverpool for 35 years since locating the South West Sydney Clinical Campus of the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Liverpool Hospital. In more recent years, UNSW is a founding member of the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research at Liverpool, which opened following a $35 million investment by the Federal Labor Government in 2012. It is also a founding member of the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, which brings together a range of stakeholders to build on the incredible foundation of medical research, clinical practice and health infrastructure in Liverpool.
I have had the pleasure of speaking in this House about the Liverpool Innovation Precinct previously, and I know the impact that the collaborative initiative will have on not only our young people but also our community more broadly in the years to come. That is why I am pleased to hear Robin and Zoe describe Liverpool as the "spiritual home" of UNSW, with Zoe herself being a south-west Sydney girl. It is a little-known fact that the postcode with the most UNSW students is 2170. The Liverpool local government area is in the top three LGAs engaged with UNSW. Who would have thought a university in the east of our often highly regionalised city could have such a huge representation of kids from the south-west?
UNSW has identified Liverpool as the front line of its investment and activity in south-west Sydney. The commitment of $700,000 in the Health Tech Entrepreneurship Program to support south-west Sydney based researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators in starting and scaling their ventures is a reflection of that sentiment. Based in Liverpool, the program is an expansion of UNSW Founders, a dedicated entrepreneurship unit supporting UNSW students, staff and alumni to build entrepreneurship skills and to found and create companies. Currently, the pathways to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs is in a fledgling state, and this investment will have a specific focus on supporting unmet needs in the region.
One of the aims of the new program is to encourage women and founders from culturally and linguistically diverse [CALD] backgrounds into entrepreneurship. Programs tailored to facilitate that include the New Wave program for female founders and Impact X for those from a CALD background. The program will dovetail nicely with the University of Wollongong's iAccelerate program, which has provided significant engagement and support to female entrepreneurs, especially those from CALD backgrounds, in Liverpool over the past 12 months. The investment is supported by a $25,000 grant from Investment NSW that was matched with $25,000 from the Liverpool Innovation Precinct.
The significance to the local community of UNSW's investment in the health entrepreneurship hub cannot be underestimated. Health and social assistance is the largest employer in the region, which is also rich in cultural diversity and under-represented groups. They will be the primary beneficiaries of the exciting initiative, being able to tap into the UNSW Founders expertise locally to create new businesses, create new jobs where they live and contribute directly to the economic development of south-west Sydney. The recent release of unemployment statistics showed that south-west Sydney, including the LGAs of Liverpool and Fairfield, has an unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent on an annual average basis compared with 1.9 per cent in the northern beaches and 2.2 per cent in Sutherland. It is of primary importance that we look at ways to create jobs on our doorstep so that our community can access them and change their own lives and the lives of those around them.
In its first year, the Health Tech Entrepreneurship Program will offer a breakfast workshop series, a pitch competition, a New Wave program, an Impact X program and more. The events aim to promote discussions and partnerships that drive meaningful progress in healthcare innovation. We have the opportunity to ensure that we not only foster innovation in our healthcare system and in meeting the needs of our community members but also develop our local economy, create jobs, address unemployment and create a future pathway for the many young people who live in our region. I am very excited to share this news with the House, and I look forward to the impact it will have in coming years.
