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AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE WELCOMES NATIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES
5 December 2002

The Australian Academy of Science welcomed the Federal Government's announcement today of the national research priorities. The priorities are exciting, comprehensive and will capture the imagination and support of the Australian community.

Professor Michael Barber, Secretary, Science Policy said, 'The priorities provide great opportunities for exciting, fundamental science at a world-class level and will further enhance Australia's presence as an important player on the international stage.'

'The research community will be delighted that the government has recognised that science is now at the centre of government policy-making, and can make a vital contribution to the quality of all our lives.'

'These research priorities promise to increase the likelihood of creating futures that the nation would prefer and to decrease the likelihood of futures that we would rather avoid,' Professor Barber said. 'They balance the pursuit of opportunities for wealth creation with attention to the risks that we all face – risks to our wealth, health, state of the environment and our safety.'

The Academy commends the government on the widespread consultation process carried out in order to define the priorities. The Academy supported the consultation process in a number of ways and will continue to do so in the future.

In 2003 the Academy will hold a high-flyers 'think tank' to allow mid-career researchers to provide input into the process of implementing the national research priorities. Such activities will allow the scientific community to actively engage in the implementation of this important government initiative.

The Academy endorses the government's requirement for annual reporting on the progress made in implementing the priorities. Communicating progress in a manner that is readily understandable to the general community is essential for obtaining the continued support of the nation.

According to Professor Barber, 'Australians will understand that using taxpayers' funds to invest in securing a safe, sustainable, healthy and wealthy country is important not only for now, but also for the generations to come. It is the responsibility of researchers and government to ensure that the community is kept well informed of progress in these exciting priority areas.'