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ACADEMY LISTS PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
14 October 2001

The President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Brian Anderson, said 'This year, political parties and business and community groups have come to a remarkable degree of agreement on the need to promote science and education in Australia, for the economic and social benefits that they bring. Indeed, many of us in the science community see that education, health and scientific development must be universal if humankind is to prosper.

'With jitters in the global economy and security questions around the world, Australia needs to invest in something it can be confident will build a better nation. Education means jobs for young people in knowledge-based industries. Science means innovation for those industries. We hope that politicians from all parties will adopt our priorities.

'For example, there are disturbing signs that the supply of science and mathematics teachers will not meet future demand. At the moment, aspiring teachers studying science pay higher HECS fees than those in the humanities. This deters students from becoming science teachers. In a new booklet, the Australian Academy of Science recommends HECS-exempt scholarships for students commencing science and maths teacher education.

'Enthusiastic, well-trained science and maths teachers are the essential link between bright young people and science-related careers,' said the President of the Academy, Professor Brian Anderson, today. 'They encourage students to take up the enabling sciences at school and continue at university. This measure could attract more able young people to science and maths teaching and help reverse the decline in science enrolments.'

The HECS proposal is one of 12 recommendations in a booklet, Priorities in research and innovation for the next Australian Government, published today by the Academy of Science. The booklet has been circulated to all federal parliamentarians and is available at www.science.org.au/reports/priorities.pdf.

The booklet makes suggestions on:

• building a knowledge economy
• the higher education system
• science and mathematics education and awareness
• private investment in research and development
• major national research facilities
• government research agencies, especially CSIRO
• Cooperative Research Centres
• the roles of state and Commonwealth governments
• national research priorities.