Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

In summing up, I thank all members and senators who have spoken in relation to the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2019, which amends funding gaps within the Australian Research Council Act 2001. This bill will ensure the ARC can continue to support Australia's best researchers to undertake the highest quality fundamental and applied research and research training.

In recent weeks, the Morrison government has announced over $24 million in research funding for new ARC training centres and approximately $242 million for ARC centres of excellence around the country. We've also announced the 2019 Australian Laureate Fellows, who will share $54 million to lead their world-class research teams for five years. This funding underpins the research careers of hundreds of researchers which, in turn, underpins Australia's position as a leading power among the world's scientific and knowledge economies. The state of Australian university research 2018–19: ERA national report, released by the ARC in March, found that Australia is increasingly performing above world standards in terms of research quality. The report also found Australia exceeds international standards in 11 broad disciplines, including technology, mathematics, medicine, engineering and in sciences relating to our earth and environment. More than half the units assessed in broad discipline areas were rated above or well above world standard.

In maintaining this lead, we are determined to leave no researcher behind. Two of the Australian Laureate Fellowships just awarded include additional funding for the recipients to undertake an ambassadorial role to promote women in research. They are named after two pioneering women in Australian research. The Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship is awarded to a highly ranked female candidate from the humanities, arts and social sciences disciplines, and the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship is awarded to a highly ranked female candidate from the science and technology disciplines. This year the recipients are Professor Belinda Medlyn from Western Sydney University, who is the 2019 ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellow, and Professor Lynette Russell from Monash University, who is the 2019 ARC Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellow. I extend to them my congratulations and the congratulations of the minister himself.

On 10 October 2019, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne released the ARC's Gender and the research workforce report, which uses data from the Excellence in Research for Australia assessment to give new insight into Australia's research workforce. The key statistic out of this report is that the ratio of men to women in the research workforce in 2018 was 56 to 44. This is a small improvement on the 57-to-43 ratio in 2015. The report also shows that the proportion of male and female researchers varies greatly between research disciplines. Female researchers outnumber men in just five of the 22 disciplines measured by the report. It is through the work of the ARC that we know about this gender disparity, and it is through the ARC that we can address it, through initiatives such as the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship and the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship.

Initiatives such as these show the significant role of the ARC in Australia's research landscape, which gives us both the insight and the power to create real change in our research sector. Thanks to the ARC the impact of this research is also known, since the release of Australia's first national assessment of how universities engage outside academia and translate research into benefits for society. The Engagement and impact assessment 2018-19 national report, released by the ARC in March this year, makes transparent the value to ordinary Australian taxpayers of the government's $12 billion in research funding. It is now possible to explore the data presented in this report, as well as the 240 highly ranked impact studies, through the ARC website. These studies paint a rich picture of how Australian research is saving lives, strengthening the economy and improving our quality of living.

Funding the ARC is part of this government's investment in the future of Australia over the next four years. With the passage of this bill, the ARC will deliver over $3 billion in funding for thousands of research projects. This will underpin Australia's research strengths as well as ensure that many benefits are reached by Australian industry, Australian jobs and the Australian community. I commend this bill to the House.

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