The Australian Academy of Science said today’s federal Budget is mixed for science; investing in some areas while pulling funding from others.
The Budget announcement of a new Medical Research Future Fund provides a positive vision, but the rest of Australian science is left substantially weakened.
The Budget cuts at least $420 million over the forward estimates to five vital science agencies — the Australian Research Council (ARC) ($74.9 million), the CSIRO ($111.4 million), the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) ($120 million), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) ($27.6 million), and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) ($7.8 million) – as well as the Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) program ($80 million).
These cuts come after an overall decline in the science budget of $470 million since 2011.
The Academy welcomes the target to double National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) spending by 2022, new spending on the Future Fellowships program for mid-career researchers, additional support for the Agricultural R&D Corporations, the continuation of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), and a new commitment to the Academy’s education programs Primary Connections and Science by Doing.
But the introduction of tuition fees for research students in PhD programs is of great concern.
To read the Academy's full media release, click here.
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