On September 23, 2022, Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic announced the formation of the National Quantum Advisory Committee (NQAC), a 15-person body chaired by Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr. Cathy Foley. The committee was established to provide strategic advice on growing Australia’s quantum sector and to guide the development of the country’s first National Quantum Strategy.
Committee members were drawn from business, science, technology, and government, with expertise spanning research and development, commercialization, investment, supply chains, and national security. Members included Professor Michelle Simmons of Silicon Quantum Computing and UNSW, Professor Michael Biercuk of Q-CTRL and the University of Sydney, Dr. Vikram Sharma of Quintessence Labs and the Australian Quantum Alliance, Professor Tanya Monro (Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist), Ms. Jennifer Westacott of the Business Council of Australia, and Ms. Clare Birch of Blackbird Ventures, among others.
Minister Husic made the announcement during the annual Pearcey Oration in Melbourne. He stated that Australia “cannot afford to let that competitive advantage slip” and confirmed the government intended to deliver the National Quantum Strategy by the end of the year. CSIRO estimated that quantum technology in Australia could become a A$4 billion industry in computing, communications, and sensing, creating 16,000 jobs by 2040.
The NQAC was established as a preparatory step toward Australia’s formal National Quantum Strategy, which was subsequently released in May 2023 following a public consultation process that opened in October 2022.