Opposition Labor Leader, Kevin Rudd Gives Some Hints as to Possible Education and Science Policies to Come. (January 9, 2007)

    The Australian's Steve Lewis reports on an interview given by the Leader of the Labor Opposition, Kevin Rudd. He told the paper he was considering as a possibility giving former science and maths teachers bonus payments to lure them back to the classroom.

Rather than just play the blame game with the states over the supply of maths and science teachers in the schools, I want to work constructively with the premiers and chief ministers on what we can do to get some of those 117,000 qualified teachers back into the classroom," Mr Rudd said.

This was critical for the medium term because their expertise was "sorely needed" for the future. "If this requires a federal effort, I am all ears about what we can do to assist because this is core to the nation's long-term economic development requirement," he said.

Hardly a long term solution to the problem of developing adequately trained enthusiastic primary and secondary teachers of maths and science, but at least it acknowledges that there is a serious problem. Perhaps in time Mr Rudd will come up with a well crafted medium/long term solution.

He also made the promise that he would elevate the Chief Scientist's Position to be full time in place of the current three days per week part-time job. But in reality that is not the problem. Under John Howard's Coalition government the position is of little consequence. The was amply demonstrated by Mr Howard's dismissal of the report of a group of nuclear experts from Australia, the UK and the US chaired by Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Jim Peacock, who in December 2006 stated among other things, "In our view it is unrealistic to believe that a [nuclear] reactor could be operating in as little as 10 years."

If Mr Rudd does assume the Prime Ministership and if he demonstrates that when appropriate advice based on sound science is given it will be utilised rather than trying to mould cherry-picked science to fit a predetermined policy, then he will have achieved a monumental change. And in his interview he did give clear indications that he does intend  to do so:

He said the role of chief scientist, providing advice to the prime minister and ministers, had to be more than an "add-on" to the national government.

 

"It should be central to our country's long-term economic planning and development," the Opposition Leader said.

 

"Because of the pace that is occurring across science, and because this is radically changing the competitiveness of nations, it is critical that this position is as important as it is to be advised by the heads of our national intelligence community."

 

Mr Lewis reports, "the Labor leader also signalled plans to cut university costs for maths, science and engineering students - including a reduction in HECS fees," and Mr Rudd again repeated his mantra that "a core part of building the best-educated workforce in the developed world is what we do with the enabling disciplines of science, of maths and of engineering. Any modern economy, with a future in the 21st century, has to have this as the core of its skills base. This is where Australia is, regrettably, falling radically behind."

Mr Rudd added that he is looking "very closely" at how Labor could make maths, science and engineering more affordable for "those studying these critical disciplines" at university. He also said "If you look around the Asia-Pacific region across the 21st century, what you see is an emerging maths, science and engineering revolution across China, also across India (and) also across the economic powerhouses of East Asia and those that will drive the 21st-century economy. We are lagging badly behind in this department. We cannot afford for this to continue. It requires national intervention."

It remains to be seen what his concrete proposals will be.