Uncertainty Regarding Nation's Science Budget with Budget Day Looming. (May 11, 2011)

 The 2013-14 Budget papers are to be released when the Treasurer commences his second reading speech at approximately 7:30pm AEST Tuesday, 14 May 2013 and speculation is reif as to how research, scientific and otherwise, will fare.

Cheryl Jones, reporting in Nature, writes that Michael Gallagher, executive director of the Group of Eight: "says that the universities are considering cuts to research programmes and the streamlining of administrative processes. As a last resort, they would consider shedding technical and administrative staff," while Bob Williamson, science policy secretary of the Australian Academy of Science, told her that the government’s failure to protect the research budget contrasts with the stance taken by the United States and much of Europe. “The academy sees the research budget as an investment, not a cost."

Matthew Colless, director of the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics believes that funding for Australian access to the world’s largest optical telescopes, such as the Gemini telescopes in Hawaii and Chile and the Magellan telescopes is uncertain: "These are the pillars of optical astronomy which we need to access in order to maintain our world leading position in this field."

Alan Finkel, president of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and chancellor of Monash University notes that in his view: "Australian science has actually been doing well... We have a good science base and we need to maintain that. Cutting that base would have a long-term, devastating impact."

Not surprisingly Ms Jones reports that: "A spokesman for Emerson [Craig Emerson, minister for tertiary education, skills, science and research] says that the minister will 'not comment on what may or may not be in the budget'. He goes on to say that the government 'recognizes that science and research are central to boosting Australia's productivity, competitiveness and prosperity. That’s why it has invested record amounts in science, research and Australian universities since coming to government in 2007.'"

However, what is lacking is a comparison of research support relative to that of our OECD cohort.