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GOVERNMENT DELIVERS ON PROMISE TO BACK AUSTRALIA'S ABILITY
23 May 2001

The Australian Academy of Science is pleased that the Government has stood by its 29 January commitment to boost funds for research and development in the 2001 Budget. The Australian community has sent a strong message to the Federal Government that the nation's future prosperity is vitally dependent on investment in research and innovation. The Government has heard the message and has delivered the first stage of the commitment.

The Budget has helped keep science on the national agenda, although it is only one among many election imperatives.

In January this year, Government measures started to change perceptions of Australia as an 'old economy'. But to paraphrase Churchill, the funding for the initiative called Backing Australia's Ability is only the 'start of the beginning' of Australia's transformation to a new economy. The process must be sustained if the message is to be understood internationally.

Professor Michael Barber, Secretary (Science Policy), said, 'This Budget has missed an opportunity to ramp up the message of 'new economy' because the chance to kick-start universities has been ignored. Of major concern is the continuing erosion of science capacity as universities are forced to switch to courses that are cheap to deliver.'

Australia has a terrific reputation in innovative research and development. Our scientists have the ability to create innovative industries, seen by the number of spin-off and start-up companies from Cooperative Research Centres, such as the CRC in Photonics. Last week, Merrill Lynch announced the results of its search for the best PhD theses in the world. Australia won four of the eleven awards in the Innovation Grants Competition.

Given half the chance, Australian scientists and technologists can deliver on wealth generation for the nation. It is too bad that only about $160 million of the $3 billion expected over five years for Backing Australia's Ability has been delivered this year.