Opinion

March 5, 2006
 

On February 28 the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, addressed the 7^th annual Science Meets Parliament -- an annual function put on by the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS) to bring together a representative cross section of Australian scientists, engineers, and technologists, with members of the federal parliament in order to establish a greater understanding and appreciation of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by our democratically elected members of government.

A feature of these meetings is a luncheon address by the Minister for Education, Science and Training to the FASTS' members attending the two day meeting.

On this occasion the Guernsey was worn by the minister for a month, Julie Bishop, a solicitor and barrister by training. She told her audience:

In a world which sees scientific research as the key to global leadership in opportunity and innovation, it is indeed a race to the top. I’m determined to push forward with the Government’s progressive agenda for science and innovation, to ensure that Australia records at least a personal best in any race to achieve socio-economic prosperity.

And as an explanation as to why she is a parliamentarian:

I was brought up to believe that entering public office is, in fact, one of the highest callings, and that if you’re given the opportunity to direct your abilities, your energies, to the betterment of your state, or your country, then that’s perhaps one of the most worthwhile contributions you can make.

Ms Bishop then proclaimed a number of the viewpoints she champions:

I can think of few other areas that have a more profound and direct impact on the lives of so many people, particularly young people, than education, science and training. Teaching and learning and research are the fundamental, the essential, the enduring foundation blocks upon which our society is built.

 

...in my first speech to the Federal Parliament in November of 1998, I highlighted the importance of education and training in ensuring equality of opportunity for Australians. I said that Australians needed to be equipped with an enhanced knowledge base through education, as intellectual capital would be our key to prosperity and stability and that flexible and transferable skills will be a great human resource in our society. I stand by these statements.

 

This is a world in which you have to run just to stay in the same spot. But of course, just keeping up isn’t good enough in this contest, we need to advance, and, given our size, we need to be twice as good at what we do.

 

Now, more than ever, the prosperity of Australia depends on education, on science and innovation, and on building and maintaining a world-class skills base. The excellence of our schools, our universities and our research institutions is central to our capacity to engage globally, both through collaboration and competition.

But before you flip your lid for joy, take notice of the context within which these fine sentiments are fettered:

I’m committed to taking forward the Government's reforms in higher education and research with a focus on quality, excellence and the impact and outcomes of research through Backing Australia’s Ability and Backing Australia’s Future and more recent developments such as the Research Quality Framework and the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

No mention of the Higher Education Workplace Relations Requirements which no doubt will engender great improvements in the quality of teaching and research at Australian universities.        

Then later three sentences whose juxtaposition must have bemused her listeners:

It’s clear that there are high levels of investment in national innovation strategies around the world. While we may not hope to manage similar magnitudes, we can remain in the race if we are bold and imaginative in our efforts. We need to remain a globally competitive world class science and innovation based economy, for if we fall behind we risk losing not just our global share of new ideas and new technologies, but our capacity to attract high calibre students and researchers to our country.

Ms Bishop appears to be telling her audience, "As long as you guys can do it on the cheap, she'll be apples." She then follows the approach used by Brendan Nelson in quoting sums as to how much money the government is allocating for various projects:

With funding of some $300 million from the decade 1999 through to 2009, the government continues to support a range of professional development activities through the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme, which includes teachers of science and maths.

 

The government has allocated new higher education places from 2005, and that includes 1,700 teaching places throughout the sector. We’ve

Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop

 established the $33.7 million Australian School Innovation in Science, Technology and Mathematics (ASISTM) Project.

Fine. Meanwhile the enabling sciences are being decimated while university infrastructure continues to degenerate. If a nation doesn't adequately support its tertiary education sector, secondary and primary education declines (as in who teaches the teachers). In short a downward educational spiral is inevitable. But Ms Bishop continued:

Of course, adequate investment in innovation and creativity is another critical component of Australia’s capacity to compete. We recognise that it is our scientists and researchers who will help us understand and address the economic, social and environmental challenges we face now – and are likely to face in the future. The Australian Government’s commitment to building a world class innovation system is admittedly and unashamedly ambitious.

It hasn't been adequate for over thirteen years. And there's no indication that it's gonna change now?

In August 1993 there was sent to the then Minister for Employment, Education and Training, Kim Beazley, a report from the National Board of Employment, Education and Training, Higher Education Research Infrastructure. The principle recommendation was that there should be an immediate injection of an additional $125 million per annum of commonwealth funding to upgrade university research infrastructure (i.e. an increase of 37%). Allowing for inflation and purchasing power parity for the sector that would translate to somewhere between $200 - $250 million per annum today.

    By the time the recommendation should have begun to be implemented the Howard Coalition had been elected and the NBEET recommendations were ignored -- and the downward slide of commonwealth support has continued.

    For some reason when Dr Nelson and now Ms Bishop trot out their figures, they neglect to mention the historical context in which the amounts should be judged.

There followed more selected figures used not for illumination but for support. Clearly the same guys at DEST are dredging up the same material given her predecessor. Perhaps Ms Bishop might take home the NSB's 2006 Science and Engineering Indicators together with a twelve page companion, America's Pressing Challenge - Building a Stronger Foundation. to get some perspective of just what is needed if Australia is not to "just keeping up," because it "isn’t good enough in this contest, we need to advance, and, given our size, we need to be twice as good at what we do."

That almost throw away line in America's Pressing Challenge - Building a Stronger Foundation noting that in the advanced physics assessment, U.S. students tied with Australia for the lowest score ought to give pause but --

then Ms Bishop gets to the Research Quality Framework:

I am currently considering the advice that the Expert Advisory Group have provided. Although it’s complex, the payoff from the RQF will benefit all Australians.

Since there is no evidence that that will be so, we must assume it is being taken as an article of faith - perhaps Moses was given a third tablet on Mt Sinai as an appendix to the ten commandments that we've just not known about previously.

Alex Reisner

The Funneled Web