Report on Science Meets Parliament
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On Tuesday 17 March and Wednesday 18 March 2009, about 200 scientists converged on Parliament House in Canberra to learn how to facilitate the effective mixing of science, policy and government, and to meet parliamentarians across the political spectrum and from the full geographic extent of Australia. This activity was organised by FASTS, the Federation of Science and Technology Societies, coordinated by Bradley Smith (Executive Director of FASTS) and Prof Ken Baldwin, (President of FASTS). Each scientist attending was nominated by a member Society, but most of the scientists with whom I spoke felt that they were also representing their disciplines and their employers.
We started early on Tuesday morning, considering how to convey our [science research or policy] message to a politician or journalist. We heard from a journalist in the Canberra press gallery, a representative of DIISR (Dept of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) and a former adviser to Senator Kim Carr (Minister for IISR). The explanations of the daily media cycle, starting with the morning newspapers and the radio news, the continuing pressure to be on top of the issues of the day, especially for Parliamentary Question Time, highlighted for many of us how different the timelines and the motivations are for science and for politics. In considering a research topic or question, politicians are more interested in the SEO (socio-economic objectives) codes whereas scientists tend to identify with the RFCD (research field code descriptor). This shift in focus was a key to our discussions with parliamentarians the next day.
We also heard about the potential for impact of the event from two scientific attendees from the SmP 2008. One of these attendees changed her career from medical research to science policy on the strength of her experience in 2008. We heard from two researchers with significant policy experience, on the importance of strong, continued interactions between scientists and the policy makers (the ministerial advisors as well as the parliamentarians). Trust is an essential component in building individual relationships with staffers or parliamentarians. One speaker recommended that FASTS should develop a code of practice for scientists dealing with public servants and politicians, and also stated that researchers keen to influence the policy in an area should get training in communications. We also heard about some of the implications for funding of science and education due to the global financial crisis from a member of the Cutler Innovation Review panel. Our speaker was encouraging the government to invest in science and technology to lay the foundations for the next technological innovation wave following our current IT wave.
At the end of this day we had heard a range of viewpoints about science policy and government and were well-motivated to convey our messages to the parliamentarians that we met the next day. We then enjoyed dinner in Parliament House with many parliamentarians present, (some had to leave dinner when the division bells rang) with Dr Penny Sackett as the guest speaker. Her speech was a message to all of us present, politician or scientist, to work together to address climate change urgently and turn around the increase in greenhouse gas emissions within 6 years. You can find it on her website, http://chiefscientist.gov.au/media/index.html.
The next day, bright and early, there were breakfast sessions on Nanotechnology and Safety, and on Science Leadership (with a powerful quartet of women). We converged on Parliament House and settled into a room on the second floor of the Senate wing, to collect our colleagues and navigate our way to the Parliamentarians’ offices. I met an MP from WA and a Senator from NT, and found them to both be interested in meeting us, committed to their electorates, and keen on the National Curriculum in Science and promoting science to young people, as well as the revolution in Photonics and telecommunications that is the topic of my research. As an aside, Parliament House is not at the forefront of communications technology in my experience! My fellow panelists from SA and Victoria explained some of their techniques for investigating cellular changes that arise in diabetes or potential treatments for MS.
Lunch was held at the National Press Club, with an address by Senator Kim Carr (Minister for Industry, Innovation, Science and Research.) In his speech, he announced some new venture capital funding for industry R and D, but did not offer a replacement for the Commercial Ready program (to the disappointment of some present). He emphasised the importance of international collaborations to the success of Australia’s research enterprise; hence the changes to the ARC program this year for international visits. He also talked about the Government’s expectations of Universities. The Government does not want to micromanage Universities, but does want to fund research appropriately, while Universities are expected to report accurately on their activities. I read the political reports in the newspapers the next day with more insight, since I had heard the speech live.
Parliamentary Question Time was lively, and demonstrated the distinctive approach to debating that is used in the Federal Parliament. All in all, is this event worthwhile to attend? I think it might be useful for those who seek to understand the background to the science policies that our nation adopts, and it is essential to attend for those who seek to influence these policies. It is also useful for researchers in science (or other disciplines) to step back and consider their research from a wider perspective, and to review how it fits into the greater enterprise of the nation, and to learn more about communicating their research to the society that funds much of it.
Judith Dawes, Physics, Macquarie University.
Judith Dawes received a B.Sc.(Hons) and Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. After postdoctoral research at the Ontario Laser and Lightwave Research Centre, University of Toronto, Canada, she joined the Centre for Lasers and Applications, at Macquarie University, initially as a Research Fellow, working on diode-pumped solid-state lasers. She is currently an Associate Professor in Physics at Macquarie University, teaching Physics and Photonics. Her research interests include applications of lasers and nano-photonics within the ARC Centre of Excellence CUDOS and MQ Photonics Research Centre.
