It was an honour to attend the PM’s Prizes for Science, particularly with the inaugural PM Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems.

A few lines from Anthony Albanese really stood out to me:

“the work that you do lasts through generations.”

“Over the span of thousands of generations, First Nations’ Australians have cultivated a unique connection to this land.
To its ecosystems, its skies and its waterways.
An intimate wisdom, passed on through deep time.
Through this connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have created their own detailed knowledge of meteorology, astronomy, horticulture, biology.
For the longest time, much of this knowledge went unseen and unconsidered by mainstream science.
Yet, just as embracing the world’s oldest continuous culture has enriched our understanding of our history.
Understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander science allows us to see things we might otherwise have missed.
Shedding new light on problems, making fresh connections across disciplines and deepening our collective knowledge of our home continent, and the world around us.
This is surely what lies at the heart of science.”