Minister for Education, Science and Training, Announces Research Quality Framework Assessment Panel Chairs. (April 18, 2007)

    The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, today announced the Assessment Panel Chairs for the Research Quality Framework (RQF).

The Assessment Panel Chairs "will guide the work of the panels in their judgements on the quality and impact of research".

According to the Minister, "These decisions will be based on sound, transparent and accountable processes [and] Panel Chairs will also provide policy and strategic advice prior to the assessment period."

The 13 Assessment Panels have been designed based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) codes. Each Panel will have 12 members and will include a Chair, assessors and end users.

Nominations are being called for membership to the 2008 RQF Assessment Panels and completed nomination forms should be sent to the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) by 14 May 2007 (detailed information and forms are available from the URL given above).

To date $87.3 million have been allocated by the Australian government for the implementation of the RQF. Overall, and including the efforts that will have to be put into initiating and maintaining the RQF by the academics, researchers and bureaucrats to be involved, the cost will run into the hundreds of millions. As matters currently stand, the research funding effected is about $600 million per annum.

No objective assessment of the utility of similar efforts in the UK and New Zealand has been published and the UK's Research Assessment Exercise is currently under drastic revision and should Australian Labor win the coming federal election it has vowed to scrap the RQF.

Below is a list of the thirteen panel chairs chosen by DEST:

Panel 1 – Biological Sciences
    Professor Peter Langridge (University of Adelaide)

Panel 2 – Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences
    Professor Erich Weigold (La Trobe University)

Panel 3 – Engineering and Technology
    Professor Max Lu (The University of Queensland)

Panel 4 – Mathematical and Information Sciences and Technology
    Professor Ian Petersen (University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy)

Panel 5 – Agriculture, Veterinary, Food and Environmental Sciences
    Emeritus Professor David R. Lindsay AO FTSE (Retired, formerly with the University of Western Australia)

Panel 6 – Clinical Sciences and Clinical Physiology
    Professor Brandon Wainwright (University of Queensland)

Panel 7 – Public Health and Health Services
    Professor Terry Nolan (University of Melbourne)

Panel 8 – Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurological, Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences
    Professor Paul Burnett (Charles Sturt University)

Panel 9 – Social Sciences and Politics
    Professor Graeme Hugo (University of Adelaide)

Panel 10 – Economics, Commerce and Management
    Professor Ian Palmer (University of Technology, Sydney)

Panel 11 – Law, Education and Professional Practices
    Professor Hilary Charlesworth (Australian National University)

Panel 12 – Humanities
    Professor Iain McCalman (Australian National University)

Panel 13 – Creative Arts, Design and Built Environment
    Professor Sue Rowley (University of Technology, Sydney)