Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the member for Perth's motion before the House today. It is correct that these cuts came about in the 2014 budget and were reiterated in 2015 budget. If you look at articles from the time of the 2014 budget, The Canberra Times states:

The country's chief scientist rolled out a sports analogy to make his point recently.

If Australian science was a cricket team we would have a few great players, but a pretty average team, Professor Ian Chubb said …

It goes on to say:

Scientists and researchers are outraged by the Treasurer's cuts to its programs and agencies in the budget handed down three weeks ago.

That is 2014 but restated in 2015.

The CSIRO, ANSTO, the Australian Research Council, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, the Co-operative Research Centres and a few other agencies lost $420 million between them. The government did announce a generous Medical Research Future Fund, but many worry it will ignore the role basic sciences play in medical discoveries.

Again the article states:

The cuts to science funding also go against the notion that research will underpin an innovation bonanza that replaces the dividends of the minerals boom.

This is the problem that we have from this government. That we have cut after cut in an area where we need to be putting money.

My electorate is home to two very large universities: the largest in the country, Monash University at Clayton and Deakin University in Burwood. Between them they are home to more that 50,000 on-campus students, with many research facilities spread between these two universities—most particularly at Monash in Clayton. These universities are leading research institutions and have been severely affected by the cuts. How do I know this? Because unemployment in my electorate has gone up for the first time since I have been a member in this place. It has gone up beyond the average.

Within Box Hill and Burwood the average unemployment was about 6.3; currently in those suburbs it is 10.2. What is the largest employment area in this part of the world? It is universities; universities and higher education research. Chisholm is also home to one of CSIRO's largest facilities at the Clayton facility, which employs hundreds of researchers. And yet many people have lost their jobs. I would not put it down just to this government; I would say this has been a culmination over many years, tragically. But the cuts of the previous 2014-2015 budget have absolutely crucified any ability for fantastic work to come out of this area.

CSIRO worked very cooperatively with many businesses in my electorate, particularly the South Eastern Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance, to the benefit of research and to the creation of jobs. When we lose the manufacturing industry through cars in my neck of the woods, where are the jobs going to come from unless they are in research environment and scientific development?

Before the cuts in this year's budget, research by the Parliamentary Library showed that national investment in science and innovation have reached a 25-year low of 0.56 per cent of GDP. The figure will now be dramatically worse. Investment in science innovation is investment in Australia's future. The 2012 study established that basic research investment leads to 30 times more economic growth, while investment in applied research leads to 10 times the economic growth. Without this investment we will not have growth and we will not have jobs.

Labor invested in science and research at adequately-funded universities. In 2015 Deakin University Vice-Chancellor, Jane den Hollander, is faced with a $260 million cut to sustainable research excellence programs, which she has diplomatically called:

… “disappointing” and would harm Australia's ability to compete as a skilled nation in the future. The next generation will be the skilled generation and universities are integral to that, so that's disappointing,” she said. “The over-arching theme for us from the Budget is uncertainty. We have no way of knowing what we will have next year and we have no idea what to say to our students.

The government has created a culture of fear and intimidation for people pursuing research. Very few senior researchers are prepared to make public comment about the government's cuts to research funding. Not because they are happy with the cuts but because they fear retribution being meted out through denial of grant applications.

Tragically, we have seen this in their past; this coalition has form. In the words of a final-year PhD student studying in the area of science at Monash, who asked to remain anonymous: 'Scientists who are seen as engaging in political action are often targeted by media and potentially makes obtaining funding in the future more difficult.' The student goes on to say, 'As a final year PhD student currently looking for work as a researcher I am very concerned about increased funding cuts to national science bodies.' He is an individual who has pursued his career for the last eight years and been very supported by the government which he is very pleased about. 'I am currently looking for post-doc positions overseas. There is currently nothing in Australia. I would love to stay here and use my research for the betterment of Australia in science.' It is in the environmental area, which was slightly lampooned by the previous speaker:

It's a huge privilege to work in a field that you enjoy and there are sacrifices that come with that, but having a lack of job security—such that it would be difficult to buy a house—due to the whims of a government, all while working in an area that can be a benefit to society, it's—

(Time expired)

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