On Tuesday and Wednesday, November 12th
- 13th, 154 graduate students, scientists,
engineers, and technicians will take two days out to talk science and technology
with 58% of the nation's Federal Parliamentarians. The inaugural
meeting was in November 1999 and the intention was for "some Australian
scientists [to take] the message directly to Canberra for a 'Science meets
Parliament Day', an event organised by The Federation of Australian Scientific
and Technological Societies (FASTS)." That was how the ABC's News in Science
opened its account. It went on to quote Professor Peter Cullen the then
President of FASTS.
Science, technology and innovation should be at the centre of the Australian
economy. Research isn't a cost, it's an investment. Studies in the USA show
how strongly industry depends on public science in developing the next
generation of products and processes. Every year in the USA, 180,000 jobs
are created as technology is transferred from the laboratory to industry".
Our politicians are former lawyers, economists, teachers, farmers or trade
unionists - hardly a scientist among them. On November 24 we'll be knocking
on their doors, with solid examples of how scientific research has benefited
the nation.
This week of the 150 MHR's and 76 Senators FASTS reports some 130 have
allocated time to have a chat
in their parliamentary offices
with one or two of the attendees. Most of the parliamentarians will be
backbenchers who, understandably, will have the immediate interests of their
constituents on their minds. It's all very well for the boffins to front up once
a year to explain why scientific research and development is a good thing, it's
quite another to get someone whose job will be on the line in less than two
years to become actively interested. Most members of parliament are polite
unless confrontationally abused but it has to be recognised that if the matter
of the closure of a bank branch in the member's consistency is of concern to a
significant number of voters in the electorate, that will have priority over
matters which are seen to have less immediate effect on the constituents'
wellbeing.
So just how valuable has
been the Federation's attempt at communicating the importance of scientific
research
to the members of Australia's Federal Parliament? To start with, "Well, if
you don't care, why should we?" would seem a reasonable opener. Scientists must
be science's advocates. The fact that our 38 public universities, the private
sector as well as
state and federal governmental institutions employing tens upon tens of
thousands of science and engineering graduates deliver up less than 160
individuals prepared to take the message to our government doesn't suggest
overwhelming zeal.
FASTS
makes the point that the "direct membership of [its constituent societies] is
estimated to be in excess of 60,000, and the widest possible representation of
the views of scientists and technologists is ensured by the involvement and
participation of the relevant societies." In short those volunteering to
front our Federal Parliamentarians in the next two days represent just over
0.25% of the estimated membership. South Sydney's Rugby League Club
did a lot better than that in sustaining its lobbying for reinstatement to the
National Rugby League.