Australian scientists were entitledto feel relieved when the Liberal
Party changed its leader last September. After all, in the 2014
Budget Tony Abbott’s government stripped $3 billion from public
funding for science, research and innovation programs, and sought
to take $12 billion over 10 years from university research programs.
These policies, along with cuts to university budgets and unfair
fee hikes that would lumber university students with $100,000
degrees, were carried through in the 2015 Budget.
But for scientists, like most Australians, Malcolm Turnbull has
turned out to be a bitter disappointment. A partial reversal of
those massive cuts to science in his overhyped National Innova-
tion and Science Agenda comes nowhere near restoring the
resources and the conidence of the Australian research sector.
The radical Americanisation of our university system remains
government policy under Mr Turnbull, hidden behind the in ad-
equate ig leaf of a discussion paper. The simple truth is that most
of this government’s anti-science, anti- innovation policies remain
intact.
There is no doubt about it, Mr Turnbull has an impressive
vocabulary, schooled in the jargon of Silicon Valley and Wall
Street. But his words are a distraction – we must look at his deeds
to see what the future holds for an Australian science sector under
a returned Turnbull Liberal government. Behind the buzz words
is an inescapable fact. This is a government of innovation frauds:
they say one thing and do another.
The Liberals cut the CSIRO budget, encourage the dangerous
impoverishment of the agency’s public good mission and facilitate
the derision of fundamental research, then stand back and affect
innocence when management undermines its internationally
renowned climate research capability. Job cuts are being rolled
out right now – up to 275 jobs across the board, including as
many as 75 climate scientists – and the Minister does nothing
even though he has the power to act.
Labor is irmly opposed to these job cuts, and I repeat my plea
to the Minister to halt this process. The urgency goes well beyond
politics – our national research capacity, our international scien-
tiic reputation and our ability to predict and accommodate our
environmental future all depend on it.
But unfortunately I do not hold out much hope. This govern-
ment did not even have a Science Minister for much of the last
Parliament. The present incumbent, Christopher Pyne, is the
same man who so casually threatened our national research infra-
structure and held hostage 1700 scientists’ jobs to ram through
university fee deregulation.
Despite the lofty innovation rhetoric, this government holds
an attitude of sheer expediency towards Australia’s science and
research enterprise. After all, every science agency has had its
budget cut.
Labor has a very different attitude. We have different priori-
ties. As Bill Shorten said in his Budget reply speech, we under-
stand that “Australia cannot be an innovation nation unless we
are an education nation” – and a science and research nation.
Labor would not permit the CSIRO to proceed with its savage and
destructive job cuts. Labor will never hold scientists and our
national research future ransom for political gain. Labor will
restore and celebrate the public good mission of the CSIRO and
our other publicly funded research agencies, as well as schemes
such as the Cooperative Research Centres program.
Labor will ensure our best and brightest have the means to
realise their talents for the good of the economy and the commu-
nity. Labor will not shackle students with a lifetime of debt just
to gain access to a university education. Labor will legislate a
funding guarantee to give universities certainty, institute a commis-
sion to oversee the management of the higher education system,
and introduce measures to ensure quality and access.
Labor will work to end the gender divide in science that sees
women constitute more than half of all PhD graduates and early
career researchers, yet make up only 17% of senior academics.
Labor believes that no Australian should be denied access to higher
education or to a research future in the ield of their choice because
of their means, their gender or their origin.
Only Labor understands that future research stars are born in
every town and in every circumstance. It is government’s role to
help them achieve their potential. Providing a high quality educa-
tion and a secure research environment for our scientists and
researchers is not only fair, it is also smart.
Senator Kim Carr is Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Industry,
and Shadow Minister assisting the Leader for Science.JUNE 2016|| 39ELECTION 2016 Senator Kim Carr
Future Research Stars Are Born in Every Town
Labor believes that “Australia cannot be an innovation nation unless we are an education
nation – and a science and research nation”.
Sign up at austscience.com
Register for our e-newsletter