The Chief Scientist and His Website. (September 7, 2011)

When the immediate past vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, Professor Ian Chubb, accepted the position of Australia's Chief Scientist on April 19 this year, to commence duties on May 23, two of the points he made were that he knew his way about the federal government's corridors of power and that in his view the chief scientist worked best unobtrusively.

Note: The last meeting of PMSEIC

was on February 4, 2011; the next

is yet to be scheduled.

Robert May, former chief scientific advisor to Britain's Blair government from 1995-2000 has made the observation that one of the prerequisites for being an effective chief scientific advisor was luck, by which he meant luck as to whom it was he would be advising.

As of today Professor Chubb has been our chief scientist for 107 days and 141 days have past since the announcement of his appointment.

A check of the Chief  Scientist's Website yields the following images.

Last item listed for "Advice to Government" was 15 months ago during Professor Sackett's tenure.

Under Media, one item:

Under Interviews and Transcripts: None

Which is not to say that Professor Chubb gave none, he did give media and press interviews and make several pronouncements and gave one long interview to The Conversation, but that was mostly shortly after he took up the office and was along the lines of who he was, what he was gonna do and that the anthropogenic effect on climate was real.

But there is no record of any interviews on the Chief Scientist's Website.

Nevertheless, under "Speeches" there are listed five; in none of them was there any indication of substantive undertakings for the furtherance of Australian science by his office since he took on the role of Chief Scientist for Australia.