Kim Carr "Talks the Talk, But Does He Walk the Walk" -- Leigh Dayton. (March 30, 2009)

It was the President of the Australian Academy of Science, Kurt Lambeck, who made the observation in June last year: "He [Senator Carr] recognizes that science and technology are important, and he's certainly seeking input from the community. But it's too soon to tell if he's listening."

In her article for The Australian's Higher Education Supplement this past Wednesday Leigh Dayton, the paper's science writer opens with: "Just last week at the National Press Club in Canberra, he highlighted the importance of research, innovation and international collaboration to the nation's social and economic wellbeing, especially in this age of economic gloom and doom. He gets it. He talks the talk. But does he walk the walk?"

She then proceeds to inform her readers that as far as "members of Australia's biotechnology community" are concerned the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research's "name isn't Carr. It's mud", which may, at least in part, answer Professor Lambeck's implied question.

Just looking at the biotech sector, which you might have thought ought to be the darling of Senator Carr's charges -- he is quoted as saying: "If we lose these innovative companies, we will never get them back."

So what's the beef?

According to Ms Dayton: "The trouble, it seems, began soon after Labor booted out the Coalition. Before its first federal budget, the Rudd Government canned the $700 million Commercial Ready program. The highly popular scheme provided dollar-for-dollar funding to start-up companies - notably those in the biotech sector - able to attract other investment funds."

And Michelle Gallaher, chief executive of Victoria's industry body BioMelbourne Network, told Ms Dayton: "The loss of Commercial Ready coupled with the effects of the economic downturn has deeply affected biotechs as good research projects are being mothballed and people retrenched."  It's a fair bet that the best of them will be lured by opportunities opened up in the US by President Obama's economic stimulus package -- of which our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is a flag waving champion.

Ms Dayton writes that the sector contends that obtaining support for biotech is a part of Senator Carr's brief : "If Carr wants to regain a scientific knight in shining armour reputation, they say he must grab back the Commercial Ready money, come up with innovative schemes to prise investment from tight wallets and, above all, get out there and find out who's doing what and how in biotech".

Now while Kim Carr may not be Abel Prize material, he is a cunning politician, which really ought to tell any objective observer of the passing scene how he -- and the Prime Minister (with a current 74% approval rating) -- view the political landscape as regards what's of consequence.