While Australia's Cutler and Bradley Reviews Await Their White Papers, New US Congress Signals its Intentions. (January 8, 2009)

 The Review of the National Innovation System, Venturous Australia - building strength in innovation, chaired by Terry Cutler and the Review of Australian Higher Education, chaired by Denise Bradley are awaiting discussion by the Rudd Cabinet (whether or not the Chief Scientist, will be present hasn't been made public).

In the meantime the United States' 111^th Congress met for the first time on January 6, and according to ScienceInsider on January 7 the: "House [of Representatives'] Democratic leaders this morning strongly signaled their support for including research, training, and scientific equipment in a massive economic recovery package."

The chairs of eight House committees responsible for developing the recovery plan that will be presented to President Obama immediately he assumes office met for two hours. Education chairman, Representative George Miller (D-CA), fronting the media said: "We want to lay down the foundation for long-term innovation. Part of that includes fixing the holes in our research labs, and making sure that our children are taught by good teachers."

Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN), chair of the House science committee added: "We're not talking about money for Oak Ridge [National Laboratory] to buy some more test tubes. This money would be distributed via the peer-review process at NSF [National Science Foundation] or DOE [Department of Energy], based on its judgment about the best proposals it has received."

Representative Miller also spoke of the "hat trick … of starting with discovery, moving to innovation, and ending up with jobs" that flows from federal funding of basic research while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "This recovery plan must be about the future; it's about innovation, which begins in the classroom. ... You have to have the labs to attract talent, and talent attracts capital."

Whether or not the recommendations in the innovation or higher education reviews and/or the sentiments expressed by the US House of Representatives' leaders has any effect on the Australia's federal cabinet let alone the parliamentary back benchers is a moot question.