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COMMENTS BY THE PRESIDENT, PROFESSOR BRIAN ANDERSON, ON THE INNOVATION ACTION PLAN
29 January 2001

'This has been a key if not historic moment for innovation in Australia. The National Innovation Summit was another such key moment.

Then the Government committed to responding to the Summit's recommendations and considerations. And there was a partnership between business, research, education and Government which continued through the Summit Implementation Group.

At the Summit the Prime Minister challenged us to judge him by his actions in addressing the innovation needs of Australia. Today, I believe we can say that his actions speak far louder than words.

These actions touch our businesses, our schools, our universities. They target excellence and they target national priorities, areas where we can do better and/or ought to have been doing better: biotechnology, and information and communications technology.

The policy changes should pay immense dividends in the future. They constitute not just the implementation of a repair program. They include new policies, rather than just the old policies with extra money.

They are hugely important symbolically too, declaring to all Australians what is crucial for our future.

Speaking for the Australian Academy of Science, I applaud the inclusion, within an integrated package, of measures such as

• the cash out for SMEs of the R&D tax concession
• the use of a 175% concession for incremental R&D
• the doubling of COMET (commercialising emerging technologies fund)
• the doubling of the funding of the Australian Research Council
• the significant expansion, in cash and access terms, of the CRC program
• the infrastructure funds for the almost-beleaguered university sector

Today, the Government has delivered, as it needed to do, an innovation strategy which can only move Australia forward.

It is important, however, that we keep in mind that this is only the beginning. We must continue to work together to ensure we get the most out of today.

Certainly, the Academies are determined to be partners in building the exciting new Australia. This is an Australia in which I hope we soon will see the community honouring the corporate and individual science and technology heroes for their international successes, as we today honour our cricket teams and Olympic heroes.

I hope that there will be general support from not just the business and research communities – but the community as a whole – as the Govenment works to implement the strategies it has announced today. They will deliver better jobs, greater wealth, better health and a better environment, and a more secure defence.

The next steps are up to those of us working in research and innovation.'