Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Hurley, you can laugh but, given all this evidence has now come out where scientific research has been doctored and manipulated for a particular outcome and other people have been sat upon and told not to include certain things in their report because they do not suit a preconceived conclusion, that is not science, that is not research endeavour and that is not how you develop an innovative country. Australia cannot be up there with the top countries of the world in research if you start muzzling scientists.

It might make good sense to have certain protocols in place in relation to public research. I have never condemned that, but what I do condemn is the gross hypocrisy here. The Howard government is condemned for what it did. We then saw a high and mighty charter of rights for these scientific people. Then, at the very first hurdle when the government thinks there might be a report that may be critical of one of its policy areas, in goes the fix, in goes the censor’s pen, in go on Senator Carr and the Labor government. I am sure those opposite will tell us the minister had nothing to do with the censorship. It was that nasty CEO of CSIRO, undoubtedly, who made the decision. I do not think she is nasty. I think she does a very wonderful job. But they will try and blame somebody else. The problem is this government has created the culture in which the CSIRO believes it has to behave in this way. A charter, like the charter of rights currently being discussed, is worth nothing unless the culture is right, and the culture with this government is wrong. That is why the CSIRO is being censored and that is why we seek to condemn the government.