Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the members who participated in this debate. The Australian Research Council Act 2001 allows the ARC to continue to support the highest-quality fundamental and applied research and research training. The importance of the ARC was highlighted in early November when the funding outcomes for five ARC funding schemes were announced. As a result of this, 1,177 new research projects will be undertaken by some of our best and brightest researchers.

To take just a few examples, researchers will work to understand the causes of eruptive bushfires; reduce the misdiagnoses of disease; identify the causes of outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, and ways to manage and protect the Great Barrier Reef; investigate water scarcity in the Murray-Darling Basin; work to develop new cancer treatments—and much more.

The ARC Amendment Bill 2013 before us today is essential. The ARC Act is the legislative basis that supports the financial operations of the ARC grants programs, and the ongoing process of the ARC, to fund this high-quality research. There has been some discussion in the media and on social media since this bill was introduced, with many a theory about a reduction in funding. But let me be absolutely clear: there is no reduction in funding. This bill seeks to amend the ARC Act in line with the commitments made by the previous government in the 2013-14 budget. The perceived reduction in funding is due to the Future Fellowships scheme. This scheme was designed by Labor as a terminating program, and that is what is reflected in the 2013-14 budget, and that is what is reflected in this amendment bill today. The coalition government has not removed one dollar of funding from the ARC.

What I will say today is that any delay in passing this bill could have detrimental impact on the payment of all new grants moving forward and therefore the livelihoods of our researchers. We need this research to address the great challenges of our time, to improve the quality of people's lives, to support the development of new industries and to remain competitive in the global knowledge economy. The outcomes of ARC-funded research are highlighted daily in the media. The Herald Sun recently published a story titled 'Mental illness implant hope' about a study led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, which has allowed researchers to develop a brain implant that they hope will provide a breakthrough in the treatment of the symptoms of mental illness. The implant, a world first, would provide electrical stimulation and deliver drugs directly to the brain. ARC-funded research undertaken at the University of New South Wales has seen the development of new green steel processes that have to date diverted more than 1.6 million waste car tyres from landfill. And ARC-funded research at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research has engineered a protein that exhibits qualities of an antiviral agent against human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.

Ongoing funding for the ARC is essential to the vitality of the Australian higher education system and our commitment to strengthen Australia's research workforce. Excellent researchers across all areas of the university system must be able to compete for funding if we are to keep world-class academics in Australia, working in our universities and teaching the next generation. However, the ARC is not only supporting quality research and research careers, but also helping the government to measure our research investment and to assure taxpayers that their money is being invested wisely. The ARC's mission is to deliver policies and programs that advance Australian research and innovation globally and that benefit the community. The outcomes of ARC-funded research deliver cultural, economic, social and environmental benefits to all Australians. It is essential that this bill is passed today to allow the good work of the ARC to continue and to ensure that our researchers have the resources to undertake high-quality research now and in the future. I commend the bill to the House.

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