Former V-C of Adelaide University Chosen as NSW Chief Scientist/Engineer. (October 24, 2008)

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has announced the appointment of Mary O'Kane as the state's first chief scientist, She has also been designated the state's chief engineer. Recently Ms O'kane served as the chair for reviews of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Co-operative Research Centres Program.

Professor O’Kane was Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Adelaide from 1996-2001 and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 1994-96. Previously she was Dean of the Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering at the University of Canberra. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of Engineers, Australia. As a researcher she specialised in computer voice recognition.

Premier Rees in announcing the appointment said: "In NSW, we want good science and we want it to link strongly to business. Professor O'Kane will consult widely with academia, industry and government to ensure scientific knowledge and research can be adapted and used to benefit NSW."

In a statement Professor O'Kane said: "Science has a key role in turning our problems, including climate change, ageing, and the worldwide financial crisis, into opportunities. NSW has a great research base and great science and engineering centres. We must nurture and extend these. We must also make sure government and business work efficiently with scientists and engineers together to meet our challenges."

The terms of the appointment have not been publicised nor has to whom Professor O'Kane will report. And of course her degree of influence on governmental policy will depend on how much notice the Premier and his cabinet intend to take of the state's inaugural chief scientist/engineer, but in any case it is an appointment long overdue.