Government’s $10 million investment in science advice

The capacity of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) has been reinforced by a $10 million government commitment to the council’s new arrangements. The new structure, announced by the government in January this year, means that a now-smaller council will meet three times a year to provide more timely, independent scientific policy advice to government on existing and emerging issues that Australia must confront.

The funding will support research and project work by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACoLA). ACoLA brings together Australia’s four Learned Academies: Australian Academy of Science, Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

The academies, working with Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb, will be responsible for research projects that are identified by PMSEIC and that will help develop policy to underpin a resilient economy and secure the country’s future.

The link with ACoLA will allow PMSEIC to draw on the expertise of the academies, and such other expertise as particular topics require. ACoLA will manage the research projects to get the best possible advice to government.

The decision was formalised at the latest PMSEIC meeting, held in Sydney on 30 March 2012. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, was the first since the new arrangements for the council were announced. It was attended by Senator the Hon Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research; standing members of PMSEIC; as well as the Chief Scientist, who is Executive Officer of the council.

“The Prime Minister is committed to ensuring she has access to the best possible scientific advice for policy decisions, and I am confident the new PMSEIC and ACoLA arrangements will make that happen,” Professor Chubb said.

Other topics of the meeting included the preliminary findings and recommendations of a report on the Health of Australian Science from the Office of the Chief Scientist. This report is a comprehensive analysis of the state of national science research and education effort, science teaching, science workforce and international research collaboration. It will be published in May 2012.

PMSEIC will meet again in Canberra on Monday, 9 July 2012.