FASTS: Climate Science Must Drive Reform Not Chiefly Politics. (March 24, 2011)

 The Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies Chief Executive Officer Anna-Maria Arabia published the following media release on Monday. We don't know how many of our parliamentarians are even aware of it let alone read it.

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Wendy Harmer, concluded her column in the  February 27 Sunday Telegraph:

Dr Cathy Foley, president of the Australian Scientific and Technological Societies, says that Australians have a long way to go to have good scientific literacy, which is important to us in many ways.

"One is to make good decisions when they are going to the polls ... and be able to understand the issues which are also scientifically-based - energy, food security, climate change, nanotechnology," she said.

In this country we are now facing a mass extinction of science and mathematics teachers. Many of our teachers are baby boomers and it's estimated almost half of them will be retiring in the next five to 10 years.

"Have we got the teachers coming through and being able to teach in a way which allows students to embrace science and take it with them, rather than being seen as something that is either too hard or something that isn't relevant to them?" Dr. Foley asked.

When the nation's prime ministers can't be bothered to make the acquaintance of our chief scientist, what hope do we have of raising a generation of clever kids?
When our aspiring PM Tony Abbott is on record as saying: "the science behind climate change is crap", not much, I'd wager.