Editorial-26 January 2001

Swimming Through Glue

As Scott Adams points out in The Dilbert Principle, Johannes Gutenberg has a great deal to answer for. Prior to the invention of the printing press around 1450 the dissemination of information was slow and easily controlled. The information explosion that followed was in fact more devastating then any weapons' development either before or since. Printing widely dispersed knowledge, reduced the intellectual monopoly of an ecclesiastical elite, and is one of the foundation stones of modern science and technology. Although rather deflating, compared to it, 20^th century high speed communications runs a fairly distant second.

That said the virtually instantaneous electronic dissemination of information puts the means of changing the fate of a nation in its own hands. Whether or not our nation takes advantage of it – well, that depends on our priorities and that of our leaders.

It's an axiom that youngsters have an inherent curiosity, and it follows that if appropriately fostered, that curiosity can be fashioned into a thirst for learning. That in turn, if correctly managed, can lead to a prosperous society.

So far that sequence hasn't taken place. The fact is that up until the early 1990s there seemed to be little need. But at that point the Australian dollar was around $0.60, hasn't risen much above that since, and has come close to dropping below $0.50. In the meantime unemployment at 7% was heading toward double digits, and peaked at over 11%. By the end of 2000 the unemployment figure had been sharply reduced while still above 7%; full-time employment has decreased; the unemployment statistics for the young remain depressingly high and show little sign of decreasing to acceptable levels. We've witnessed considerable hand wringing at most levels of society, finger pointing by the oppositions at the governments of the day, reciprocal opprobrium of states and the federal government, and a marked amount of tinkering with the educational systems at all levels by states and Federal governments.

Looking back over the past decade there are several certainties that emerge:

1. our political leaders have been unable to develop long ranged strategies to overcome our deficiencies in primary, secondary and tertiary education;
   
2. we are falling increasingly behind all of our first world major trading partners in contributing to developments in modern science and the new technologies;
   
3. The slow growth in our new technology industries is inexorably linked to the first two problems cited.

Where to start?

Really the first question is, is there a will to start. The opinion is abroad that our population is more interested in instant gratification than in long term solutions. That cynicism is evident in the concern by both major political parties in immediately raising the issue of tax cuts prior to impending elections. So long as the pursuit of the siren of immediate cuts to taxes prevails, this country, sooner or later, will be lured to the dissipation of its common wealth.

Interestingly, what is the most important issue, is never discussed, for the apparent reason that it is seen as impossible to achieve - 

Unless there is bipartisan support together with the building of a partnership between the state and Federal Governments for a unified and long-term policy to adequately support education at all levels,  science, engineering and technology will continue to wallow in the present quagmire. In a phrase, we seem to be swimming through glue. Were our appreciation of academic and scientific skills seen to be the same as that of sporting prowess, we'd be home free.

But what do we see. Here is an excerpt from Michelle Grattan's SMH column: "Kim Beazley... had something new to announce - plans for an online university. He was afire in his favourite policy area, education, wanting this to be the year it is 'recognised as the number one political issue in Australia'. If only it were, Beazley would find campaigning a lot easier." It's the jangle of cynicism in that last sentence that's so disturbing. As though the chief political correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald mentally added, fat chance. So why the hell should the Libs, the Nationals, the Democrats, go past hand wringing, and tinkering. The well being of the Nation? - Well, it is a thought.

The submissions to the Federal Government of the Chance to Change by the Chief Scientist and Innovation: Unlocking the Future by the Innovation Summit are a beginning, but really just that. The unified approach for the teaching of science and mathematics emphasised by the "Glenn Report" (Before it's too Late) would seem a good starting point for us. But the development of a consensus for an extended unified education, science engineering and technology policy is vital. It will be neither simple nor cheap but it'll be a damn site preferable to having Australia slowly descend into the funneled web.

Alex Reisner
areisner@bigpond.com