Prime Minister Julia Gillard Announces "Revitalising" Changes to Her Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. (January 21, 2012)

Ten days ago TFW wrote: "And to demonstrate the importance of science to policy making by the Australian Government led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the most recent meeting by the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) was held on February 4, 2011-- well over 11-months ago [while] US President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) meets six times a year and has direct access through its chairman, John Holdren, to the US President.

Yesterday Prime Minister Gillard announced that there would be a "Revitalised Prime Minister's Science Council", and referred to it as "Australia’s peak science advisory body".

The revitalised council is to meet regularly three times a year and will consist of:

• Prime Minister (chair);

• Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research (alternate chair);

• Minister for Industry and Innovation

• Other Ministers relevant to the meeting, at the invitation of the Prime Minister;

• Australia's Chief Scientist;

• CEO of the Australian Research Council;

• CEO of the National Health and Medical Research Council and;

• Six individual standing members, chosen for their contributions to science and research:

- Dr Megan Clark, Chief Executive of CSIRO;
- Dr Cathy Foley, Chief, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering;
- Dr Ben Greene, Executive Chairman Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited;
- Professor Robert Saint, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne;
- Professor Fiona Stanley, School of Paediatrics and Child Health, The University of Western Australia and
- Professor Graeme Turner, Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies University of Queensland.

It is noteworthy that not one of Australia's five extant Nobel Laureates* is included, and that there is no indication that the Chief Scientist is to be relocated to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In her media release the Prime Minister claims that the "new... PMSEIC will have a more dynamic and contemporary focus following a recent review of its operations and membership". Whether or not it will have any more influence on the government's research and innovation policy remains to be seen. However, what has been promised is that PMSEIC per se is to concentrate on immediate matters concerned with "topics such as technology, health and communications issues that have implications across Government [while the] Council will be able to refer long-term issues, five to 30 years ahead, requiring a scientific response to the Australian Council of Learned Academies to undertake in depth, interdisciplinary research and report to Government through the Chief Scientist... $1.95 million over four years to 2014-15 [has been allocated] for in depth and evidence based research to support the work of the Learned Academies".

The Prime Minister's statement also promises that one of the first orders of business will be Professor Chubb's report on the Health of Australian Science - looking at strategies to ensure its sustainability. What recommendations will be made, and how they may be implemented.....?

So far there has been no mention of the new PMSEIC following the lead of President Obama's PCAST in making public, web casting and archiving proceedings.

The date of the first meeting and its agenda are yet to be announced.

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*Brian P. Schmidt, Physics, 2011; Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Physiology or Medicine, 2009: Barry Marshall, Physiology or Medicine, 2005; J. Robin Warren, Physiology or Medicine, 2005; Peter C. Doherty, Physiology or Medicine, 1996