Chris Trevor (Flynn, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker; well done. I rise to speak on the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 and the importance of providing funding to the Australian Research Council because of the initiatives and research it supports.

This bill represents our government’s commitment to advancing our efforts to build a more prosperous Australia through innovation. It is an appropriation bill that is absolutely important to the future of our country. This is so not because it will change laws but because its royal assent will provide support to the Australian Research Council and its ongoing operations. It will fund the high-quality research that our country needs to tackle the great challenges of our time.

This bill seeks to appropriate funding that will be provided to the Australian Research Council to support research schemes. The total increase in spending is approximately $889.6 million over four financial years spanning from 2009 to 2013. The update in funding, which will be administered by the Australian Research Council, includes providing new funding for research and bionic vision science and technology; providing new funding for the Super Science Fellowship scheme; providing continued funding for National Information and Communications Technology Australia; providing funding to apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts in the act; and to create an additional out-of-year financial forward estimate. The provision of this funding is important to all Australians. It will be a major boost for the Australian Research Council and its ability to implement critical budget initiatives.

Innovative research has the power to better the lives of all people. This funding in particular will be used to fund first-class research that has the potential to improve the quality of life experienced by countless numbers of people. It will support the development of numerous new industries and ensure that our country remains at the forefront of competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.

We only have to look at innovations that have been developed in previous years to understand the value of providing funding for the Australian Research Council. For example, in the Australian Research Council annual report 2008-09 in the research outcome section, there are numerous case studies outlining some of the developments that have occurred with support from the Australian Research Council.

One such case relates to the study of hazards in underground mines, an area that is of particular relevance to the people from my electorate of Flynn. In summary, the research has studied the phenomenon known as windblast, which occurs when there is a collapse without warning in an irregular cave where there is an extensive area of unsupported roof. Where the collapse occurs there is a sudden burst of wind that results in a pressure wave and windblast that reverberates up the mine tunnels. This blast can displace dangerous gases. The results of studying this phenomenon have led to improved levels of mining safety and technical viability that will benefit not only miners in Australia but also miners around the world. The funding provided by the Australian Research Council made this study and the results possible. This is particularly important for the people in my electorate of Flynn where there are extensive underground mining projects underway. Indeed, one of my sons, Guy, works as an underground miner in Emerald, west of my home town of Gladstone. He gets married this Sunday, subject to the cyclone, and I am very proud of him and my future daughter-in-law Linzi.

Sadly, my wife, Colleen, and I recall an accident in Moura, again west of Gladstone, in 1986—it is well documented—when 12 miners were killed because of an incident where a windblast blew methane, coal dust and air into the area where they were working, creating an explosive atmosphere that led to an explosion. This was a dramatic and tragic disaster that rocked the people of Moura. It will never be forgotten by the people of Moura who lost loved ones or by the people of the Moura community generally. It has left a scar on that community that can never heal. It was and remains a tragic loss.

I mention this because of the fact that this research, which was supported by the Australian Research Council, will assist in the prevention of incidents similar to the tragedy in Moura from ever occurring again. This is a prime example that emphasises the significance of some of the research that the Australian Research Council has funded in the past, and the importance of providing funding for initiatives supported by the council now and in the future. The initiatives that this bill will fund have the potential to provide numerous innovations and yield results that can benefit people in many parts of their lives. The research that is supported by the Australian Research Council is critical to ensure that we as a country forge a better future for ourselves and our children. The research that the council supports and the research that funding appropriated by this bill will support are for the betterment of our quality of life.

One of the programs that this bill will provide funding for is research in bionic vision science and technology. This will deliver on a promise made by our government in response to the 2020 summit held in 2008 to implement a long-term national health strategy. The idea was to invent a bionic eye. The potential benefits of this prospect are truly remarkable. It promises to not only give and restore sight to tens of thousands of people around the world but also generate know-how that can be applied in many other areas. Our country is a global leader in bionics. This stands to reinforce our leadership in a field of science that will be life altering for thousands of people in the future. There can be no price put on the value of sight and the immeasurable difference that this breakthrough will provide for the people that will benefit from it. We cannot put a price on something that will be so life altering for so many people. The significance and potential improvements to people’s lives that this research will provide are well worth the investment.

Another program that will receive funding through this bill is the Super Science Fellowships scheme. This scheme is an integral part of the $1.1 billion Super Science Initiative announced in the 2009-10 budget. The aim of this initiative is to boost critical areas of scientific endeavour, including space science and astronomy, marine and climate science and areas of science that are important to future industries such as biotechnology and nanotechnology. The development of these areas of science is essential for our future for they play a significant role in the future of our human race. There are so many clear benefits that these sciences have the potential to provide, whether it be the better detection, prevention and treatment of diseases that await discovery in the field of biotechnology or the endless potential that properly developed nanotechnology holds.

The Super Science Initiative will ensure Australia is recognised as a global leader in these fields of science. It would be utter foolishness to ignore these areas of research and truly daft not to support the provision of funds for them. Research in these fields of science will be invaluable. I believe we are on the cusp of many great discoveries. Our government is acting to assist this research and to help ensure that Australia plays its part in delivering brilliant new technology that will make safe our country’s position as a major competitor in the global knowledge economy and ensure the people of Australia experience the full benefits of cutting-edge technology.

It is clear that we as a country cannot afford to be left behind. As we enter a new era in science we must meet the challenges it presents. The Super Science Initiative is about preparing our country by building the infrastructure needed to support state-of-the-art research and supporting the talent to complete that research.

The Super Science Fellowship scheme is an integral part of the Super Science Initiative. It will provide the support needed for early career researchers in the fields targeted by the initiative. This support will be in the form of 100 three-year fellowships that will be provided to these researchers. They will be provided to the most promising young researchers to allow them to continue to have opportunities to work in areas of national significance during the global recession. It will also ensure that these potentially exceptional researchers have real opportunities to build a science career here in Australia.

It is clear that this scheme is very important. The broader program of the Super Science Initiative will provide Australia with countless new innovations and this scheme will work effectively as a part of the initiative to ensure Australia is capable of remaining at the forefront of scientific development in these fields of science. By providing funding for the Super Science Fellowship scheme in this bill we can ensure that the aims of the Super Science Initiative are met.

This bill will also provide continued funding for National Information and Communications Technology Australia. National Information and Communications Technology Australia undertakes user inspired basic research and also plays an essential role in research training and commercialising research outcomes through spin-out companies and technologies licensing. It plays an important role in building Australia’s research and skills base and is a key national innovative asset. The 2009 budget extended funding for another four years from 2011-12 to ensure it can continue its valuable work. This bill is honouring and giving effect to that decision.

Overall, I believe this bill represents a very positive step for our country. The funds it will provide for the Australian Research Council will effectively ensure that Australia is and remains a forerunner in scientific development and that we remain competitive in the global knowledge economy. The areas of research that will be provided with funding through this bill are immeasurably important to countless people, not just here in Australia but around the world. By committing funding to developing fields of science such as bionic vision and committing to supporting potentially exceptional early career researchers in significant fields of science, we stand to make a huge difference to the lives of people everywhere and ensure that we build a fairer and more prosperous Australia through innovation.

It is, I believe, irrefutable that Australia only stands to gain from investment in these initiatives, and providing funding to these programs can only benefit Australia. It is for all of these reasons that I support the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 and commend it to the House.

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