25 years of inspiration

Questacon – Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre – is currently celebrating its 25th year of service to the community.

Minister for Industry, Ian Macfarlane, congratulated Questacon on reaching the milestone, saying Questacon took up the challenge to engage and excite Australians about science 25 years ago, and it has delivered outstanding results ever since.

Mr Macfarlane said Questacon had delivered more than 100 million hours of inspiring science experiences across Australia and around the world.

“Most importantly, it makes science fun and gets the thumbs up from the thousands of school kids who stream through its doors each year,” he said.

“Australia needs to encourage our next wave of scientific talent to stay globally competitive, and Questacon plays a crucial role in helping us do that.”

Mr Macfarlane said Canberra’s Questacon Centre was a multi-award winning tourist attraction featuring eight galleries with more than 200 interactive exhibits.

He said it was opened on 23 November in 1988 as a joint Australia–Japan Bicentennial Project, with Japan contributing half the $19.64m construction cost as a gift to Australia.

Mr Macfarlane said Questacon also delivered user-friendly science lessons via outreach programs, travelling exhibitions, and digital video-conferences, in schools and communities nationwide.

“Over 26 million people have interacted with our programs and exhibitions, and we’ve delivered over 100 million hours of inspiring science experiences,” he said.

“We’ve reached into remote Australian outback towns and large cities in Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei.”

Professor Durant said Questacon was very proud of its achievements in its first 25 years, but the job of inspiring tomorrow’s scientists was as important as ever to ensure Australia keeps moving forward.

The celebrations at Questacon will go on all year – see their website for more information and to share your memories of Questacon.