CSIRO Staff Association Urges Carr to Honour Promise of Charter. (January 30, 2008)

Michael Borgas and Pauline Gallagher, President and Secretary of CSIRO's Staff Association respectively, in an opinion piece for today's Age voice apprehensions concerning the delivery of a charter for CSIRO which "was a small election promise that could easily slip off the new Rudd Government's very long "To Do" list in the face of so many large priorities".

Borgas and Gallagher believe that such a charter, properly framed is "vital for renewing and strengthening the public trust in science at a time when the nation needs critical new thinking and innovation."

The promise that Senator Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, has implied is that such a charter would preclude the public science agencies from improper political intervention and bureaucratic interference.

The staff association view "the main thrust of the minister's statement [as being] about public sector scientists being able to speak out publicly and participate in public debate", but they point out that CSIRO as "A Commonwealth authority is defined in law as a body corporate that holds money on its own account and is incorporated for a public purpose by an act of Parliament".

Because one of the organisation's briefs is to: "Further the interests of the Australian community and contribute to the national and international objectives and responsibilities of the Australian Government", Borgas and Gallagher argue: "This would already seem to place an onus on the CSIRO and its scientists to make public comment on scientific matters and bring scientific evidence into debate on other matters of public interest. So why the need for a charter?"

Their simple answer is: "The CSIRO was once defined as science for society. Australia needs to reinvigorate this role... A charter that emphasises the public role of CSIRO scientists would afford a higher moral imperative, showing the public that the CSIRO's scientific results are sound, and opinion and decisions can be reliably based on them."

The staff association's representatives then throw down a challenge: "Some CSIRO clients, mainly in the public sector, have been requiring the scientists to sign over their moral rights under copyright. Herein lies a very real threat that scientific findings and interpretations may be adjusted or modified to suit political considerations without the knowledge of the scientists. The contractual requirement to sign over moral rights should not be expected of any scientist. The Rudd Government would do well to end such demands from its departments and agencies."

We'll know in due course whether or not the good senator is listening.