Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to indicate the coalition’s support for the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010. The Australian Research Council Act 2001 stipulates that the act should be amended each year to incorporate the amount appropriated for the Australian Research Council and bring up to date the details of the fund administered by the ARC. The bill reflects a practice adopted in 2001 and applied annually ever since. It also provides for funding adjustments of approximately $889.6 million to allow the ARC to implement its budget initiatives and provides additional out-year funding.

In addition to providing indexation of existing appropriation accounts, the bill provides funding for three initiatives. Firstly, the research in bionic vision science and technology initiative will provide funding for research leading to the development of a functional bionic eye. The research funded through this initiative is expected to lead to significant innovation through collaboration. It is something that I particularly look forward to. The bionic eye has the potential to give sight and restore sight to many Australians from one end of our shores to the other and, indeed, to others overseas. The bionic eye project follows on from previous successful innovations in this area, such as the bionic ear, which provides hearing for those who are profoundly deaf or hard of hearing. That particular innovation has transformed the lives of many Australians. There are also expected to be other health outcomes resulting in significant spin-off and successful commercialisation.

Secondly, the Super Science Fellowships Scheme will seek to retain researchers in three key areas: space and astronomy; marine and climate; and future industries. The fellowships will provide funding of $72½ thousand a year plus 28 per cent on costs. One hundred researchers will benefit from these fellowships, and eligible organisations will administer these fellowships and provide $20,000 per participant to support the research projects they undertaken. The organisations hosting the fellowships, which commence this year, include Australian universities and research institutes, Australian government agencies and research functions like the CSIRO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, ANSTO, and the Anglo-Australian Observatory in the Innovation, Industry, Science and Research portfolio.

All members of the House should be well aware of the challenge we face in science education in Australia. We have seen recent reports over the last few weeks and have heard in broader discussion on the national curriculum of the need to encourage more students, particularly in senior years, to study science. We have seen the need to encourage and train more teachers in the science and maths field. This is a serious, long-term issue that needs to be worked on. We need to ensure that students’ interest in science is encouraged and harnessed at an early age so that they can go on to participate in these sorts of programs. A number in the science profession have high hopes of the draft national curriculum for science, but were—just like myself—bitterly disappointed that, when the draft curriculum was released, there was no workable implementation plan to go with it and no practical assistance given to implement some of the measures. Even in a field as important as science, education and innovation, the Rudd government is unfortunately all talk and no action.

Thirdly, there is continued funding for National Information and Communication Technology Australia. NICTA was established by the former coalition government in 2002 to ensure that Australia was able to fully harness the benefits this sector has to offer. As the shadow minister has said, the ICT sector has a critical role to play in continued innovation and development across all industries in Australia. Through two research nodes in Sydney and Canberra, NICTA is now a world-class organisation in its field which attracts internationally recognised reseachers, and it obviously benefits our domestic researchers to be able to work alongside internationally recognised researchers. It allows some of our younger, up-and-coming researchers to have access to some of the best brains and some of the highly recognised people in this field. The ICT sector is a fast-shifting field, and we need to be able to continually invest and allow the domestic flourishing of this sector; otherwise, we will be left behind.

In conclusion, the coalition does support Australian innovation and research. It is fundamental to our productivity. It is fundamental to the growth of our economy. We look forward to seeing the results and future work of great Australian scientists.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before calling the member for Deakin, I would like to welcome to the chamber today Professor Margaret Shiel, the CEO of the Australian Research Council to listen to a debate about her good institution.

Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too speak in support of the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010. This bill will index the funding of the Australian Research Council and provide specific funds for the Super Science Fellowships Scheme and for the research in bionic vision science and technology initiative. There is also a continuation of funding for the National ICT Australia. This bill will increase funding to the Australian Research Council by $889.6 million over four years altering the three-year existing funding figures and extending the forward estimate period out to 2013.

The Rudd government has made one of its key priorities to retain and attract the best researchers in the world to work on cutting-edge and innovative research here in Australia. Australia’s future—and, indeed, its future prosperity—is in many ways dependent upon our encouraging of local research and the connections with businesses, so that research translates into products and puts Australia in front of the rest of the world.

As a member of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation, which inquired into many of the issues covered in this bill in a report which was published in 2008 entitled Building Australia’s research capacity, I am pleased to note that many of the recommendations we made at that time are actually now being put in place. The committee’s inquiry into research training and research workforce issues in Australian universities received 106 submissions and held 13 public hearings in cities around Australia. The committee saw firsthand some excellent research projects being undertaken across the country, but we also heard of the problems facing researchers and universities, especially with regard to funding. Many of the submissions we received focused on the issues of retaining and attracting the brightest and the best researchers and on investing in new, innovative areas and supporting universities in building their research capacity. The final report made 38 recommendations on how Australia can build its research capacity, and this bill provides the funding that continues to deliver on a number of those initiatives.

We only need to look at the development of the bionic ear as an example of the impact of research that is conducted in Australia. It has been developed into a leading-edge product that is in demand world wide. The bionic ear was developed in the late 1960s by Australian scientist Professor Graeme Clark and his colleagues at the University of Melbourne. Since that time, more than 80,000 severely deaf or profoundly deaf people in 100 countries have received a cochlear implant. Cochlear is now an ASX listed company that last year sold 18,553 cochlear implants, had a total revenue of $694 million and employed 1,888 people world wide. Over the last 10 years, Cochlear has earned $3.9 billion in revenue. This is a success story of government-supported research leading to a breakthrough that developed into a great Australian company.

The Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 will not only deliver indexation of current funding to the Australian Research Council but also provide additional funds for three key projects in Australian research. This bill will provide funding for the research in the Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative, a Rudd Labor government initiative to develop the bionic eye. Inventing a bionic eye was one of the key ideas that came out of the Australia 2020 Summit, held in 2008. The Rudd government is now delivering on the promise to fund this research and will provide $50 million over four years to key research groups. As I have mentioned, the bionic ear was a truly great Australian innovation. With this $50 million investment by the Rudd Labor government, the prospects of Australian researchers making a breakthrough and being able to develop a bionic eye have been greatly enhanced.

The Australian Research Council received a number of applications to access the $50 million fund in relation to the bionic eye. This independent statutory body has made its decision on where the investments will be directed. Bionic Vision Australia, a consortium including the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, the Bionic Ear Institute, the Centre for Eye Research Australia and NICTA, are to receive $42 million in funding. The Bionic Ear Institute is a non-profit research organisation. It was established in 1983 to continue the innovative research on the bionic ear, invented, as I said before, by Professor Graeme Clark. Professor Graeme Clark is the director of this institute. It is exciting to see the continuation of the work of the Bionic Ear Institute and Professor Graeme Clark with the new goal of developing a bionic eye.

With the ambition to deliver a bionic eye, Bionic Vision Australia will use a video camera fixed to a patient’s glasses to capture images which will then be translated into electrical impulses that stimulate electrodes inserted into the retina. The resulting electrical impulses stimulate the same area of the retina usually activated by visual cues. Over time, the patient will learn to interpret these nerve signals as useful vision.

According to the researchers, the first human implant is likely to occur in 2013 and to take place at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne, a hospital well known to people in Melbourne as a first-rate specialist hospital. I looked it up. It has been operating since 1863. If you are from Melbourne, you would normally call it ‘the Eye and Ear’. It also undertakes half of Victoria’s public general eye surgery, up to 90 per cent of its specialised surgery and almost all of Victoria’s public cochlea implant surgery.

Of the $50 million funding, the remaining $8 million will go to a Monash University led team, bringing together experts from engineering and computer sciences, as well as medical researchers from their department of physiology and the Alfred Hospital. Researchers at the Monash University led team are aiming for a human trial followed by a commercial prototype within four years.

Both of these projects have set exciting goals for their research. I commend their projects to the House in the knowledge that all sides of the House will welcome any new discovery in this area. A bionic eye will make a different to many Australians and people around the world, potentially bringing sight to those who do not have it and, without doubt, changing their quality of life. I am proud to be part of a government that has the vision to fund such projects and invest in new and innovative ideas. This $50 million investment will increase the chances of delivering a bionic eye with such high resolution that it does more than simply differentiate between shadows and large objects. It is almost three decades now since a team of Australian scientists developed the bionic ear and Australia is already a global leader in bionics. This new investment will reinforce Australia’s leadership in one of the most demanding and inspiring fields of scientific research.

The Rudd Labor government, since being elected in 2007, has maintained a long-term view of research. Many of the submissions to the inquiry into research training and research workforce issues in Australian universities raised the issue of a lack of career path for researchers. We heard from the researchers and research students who faced recurring periods of funding uncertainty and a lack of funding for their research. Not every application for research funding is successful. Some of those who missed out found employment outside the sector or lost interest in continuing to be researchers.

The Rudd government in its previous budgets has acted to help retain midlevel and senior level researchers. This investment in the retention of midlevel and senior researchers by the Rudd government was applauded by many of the universities making submissions to the inquiry into research training and research workforce issues in universities. The Curtin University of Technology Western Australia in their submission to the inquiry welcomed the new and exciting initiatives such as the Future Fellowships and the existing ARC Fellowships. They applauded these saying that they will assist in attracting and retaining midcareer and senior researchers.

The Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 will provide funding for a new set of doctoral fellowships specifically designed to provide opportunities for early career researchers. These are called Super Science Fellowships. The Super Science Fellowships scheme is an integral part of the $1.1 billion Super Science Initiative announced in the 2009 budget. The aim of Super Science Fellowships is to attract and retain outstanding early career researchers in three key areas: space and astronomy, marine and climate, and future industries. The Super Science Fellowships will offer a three-year fellowship, funded for up to $72,500 a year, plus 28 per cent of on-costs, to 100 outstanding Australian and international early career researchers. Fifty of those are to commence in 2010 and another 50 next year in 2011.

The Super Science Initiative is about nurturing the talented individuals who will perform research. Ensuring that early career researchers have access to fellowships can play a crucial role in retaining the best local researchers and enabling them to continue their work. The Super Science Fellowships initiative is the latest Rudd government project to support local researchers and adds to the previously announced and fully funded Australian Laureate Fellowships for established researchers and Future Fellowships for researchers in midcareer.

The Australian Laureate Fellowships provides opportunities to researchers at the peak of their careers. Australian Laureate Fellows, commencing in 2010, will receive a salary supplement from the ARC of around $100,000 plus 28 per cent of on-costs with a standard tenure of five years. In addition to a salary supplement and salary related on-costs support, the ARC may also provide an Australian Laureate Fellows with project funding of up to $300,000 per annum, along with additional amounts to appoint up to two postdoctoral research associates and up to two postgraduate researchers. The Rudd Labor government has committed $239 million to be allocated over five years to fund the Australian Laureate Fellowships.

The government’s commitment to supporting research also covers the Future Fellowships, which provide funding for midlevel researchers. The Future Fellowships scheme has funding for the 1,000 four-year fellowships over five years. Many highly qualified midcareer researchers have found in the past that they have few options to pursue their work locally and have had to go overseas to further their careers. The Future Fellowships scheme is designed to attract and retain these highly skilled researchers so that they can continue their research in Australia.

The third element to the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 is the extension of funding for National ICT Australia. National Information and Communication Technology Australia, better known as NICTA, is an independent company with 700 staff. This bill provides for a $185.5 million four-year funding extension for NICTA, beginning in 2011-12. This was announced in the 2009-10 budget. NICTA is the largest information and communication technology research organisation in Australia and it also receives funding from the Victorian, New South Wales, Queensland and ACT governments. As well as undertaking user-inspired basic research, it also plays a vital part in research training and commercialising research outcomes through spin-out companies and technology licensing. For example, NICTA’s first spin-out company, Audinate, a leading developer of digital media networking solutions, recently secured $4 million in additional funding from the private sector. Audinate’s innovative networking technology reduces cost by eliminating the need for expensive, bulky, copper analog wires. One CAT5 ethernet cable can replace 500 analog connectors, thereby eliminating massive amounts of cabling from large audiovisual installations. Audinate revolutionises the way that audiovisual systems are connected to by transporting high-quality media over standard IT networks. It is in use across the world for live sound, recording and broadcast applications. I do know a bit about CAT5 cabling. It is something I did for many years prior to coming to this place. At that time it was only used for connecting PCs over what now seem to be very slow networks.

The type of technology that can be put in place and use existing cabling saves businesses big dollars, meaning they do not have to rip out what was put in only a few years ago. That is a really smart way of looking at things. This is yet another example of the importance of funding Australian research and highlights the importance of the commercialisation of research. The Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 demonstrates the Rudd Labor government’s commitment to fostering research and excellence, along with building a stronger and more diverse research community. I commend the bill to the House.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the member for Herbert.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker Burke, I was just saying to your mother, Joan, who is in the gallery today, that she must be very proud of you. The way you handled that then was just the way a Deputy Speaker should handle it. Joan, I know you are a Victorian, but we will make you an honorary Queenslander for the day. It is good to see you sitting on the right side of the parliament!

I want to give a couple of practical examples of why it is important that the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 go through the parliament today. Funding for Australia’s research through the Australian Research Council has achieved so much for our nation. The increased funding that is coming to the ARC will be well used. Yesterday I visited Mount Stromlo where the Australian National University runs an astronomy research program. There are no telescopes there anymore; the telescopes are in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. The ANU runs the collaborative effort and its workshops are there.

They have just built the new SkyMapper system. That has been installed at Siding Spring in Coonabarabran. That SkyMapper system will for the first time since about the 1970s remap the skies over Australia in a fantastic way. They will be using the ICT that is referred to in the bill to get all of that data back to Canberra from Siding Spring. ARC grants fund this kind of science where Australia leads the world.

Yesterday I met a scientist at Mount Stromlo who was part of the team that discovered dark energy. It sounds very mysterious. It is extraordinarily important to know and understand what is out there, even though we cannot see it. To think that we have Australian scientists working out that this exists and trying to explain why it exists and its importance is amazing.

The ANU at Mount Stromlo is also part of the new Giant Magellan Telescope. It is a 25-metre telescope; it is a huge array. They were telling us yesterday that they are looking at the end of the galaxy, where it all began. They are able to do this with this giant telescope because they can collect enough light to see such a long way. Australian scientists are ahead of the pack in doing all of that.

They are also involved in the square kilometre array project, which Australia is bidding to have built at Geraldton in Western Australia. That is another major world-leading project in astronomy. We are not there yet, because we are competing against South Africa. As the Australian project has so many more benefits and is more technically advanced than the South African bid, commonsense would say the SKA should be built in our country, but that is for others in the world to decide. I hope commonsense prevails. I say, ‘Well done,’ to the scientists at the ANU and all of the PhD students who are there. They do good work in keeping Australia, such a small country, prominent in another area of science where the ARC is very important.

I would also like to advise the parliament that ARC grants go to the university in my electorate, which is James Cook University. Last year JCU received over $3 million in funding from the ARC for 12 separate projects. It is really good. What do we do well in North Queensland? It would have to be tropical marine science, wouldn’t it? And, again, through the help of ARC grants and help of the ARC Future Fellowships, Townsville undoubtedly leads the world in tropical marine science. There is a body of tropical marine science second to none in the world not only with James Cook University and these fellowships but with the degrees that they have with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and so on. It is all there. Students from all over the world come to James Cook to study tropical marine science. It is an absolutely wonderful achievement.

I wanted to make a contribution to support this bill today. The coalition certainly supports the bill and supports the scientific and research community in Australia. They do great work just like at JCU in Townsville, and I congratulate them on their continued dedication to pursuing new ideas and innovation. I thank the House.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would also like to thank the member for Herbert for pointing out the other distinguished visitor I have in the gallery, my mother, Joan Burke. Whilst I never inquire of my mother’s politics as she is a constituent, she assures me she does vote for me.

Chris Trevor (Flynn, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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.

Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010. This bill will provide additional funding to the Australian Research Council for its continued support of high quality research in this country. We know that such research is vital for our future.

This bill provides funding in the 2009-10 budget initiatives that are specifically in relation to the Super Science Fellowships scheme. The bill also continues funding of the National Information Communication Technology Australia—a company which is almost unique in its field and which has had a very significant impact on advancing the development of quality research to the point of commercialisation, including through spin-off companies. These things are to be encouraged if we are to be part of a new generation of scientific application that is commercialised for the future.

The bill also provides funding for a commitment that arose out of the 2020 Summit for the Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative. Further, the bill applies an indexation measure against existing programs under the National Competitive Grants Program. The Australian Research Council is both fundamental and critical to Australian national innovative schemes. The amendments in the bill—which will receive bipartisan support—will boost the council’s ability to implement critical budget initiatives.

I would like to briefly speak about what the bill will provide in terms of the Super Science Fellowships scheme. This new scheme was announced in the 2009 budget as part of the broader Super Science Initiative. The scheme, as I understand it, will offer up to 100 three-yearly early career fellowships, which will be awarded to the most promising young researchers. The fellowships will allow them the opportunity to continue to work in their areas of specialisation and of national significance. I think that is pretty important in terms of our being able to develop technology for the future. I understand that these fellowships will be offered in three targeted areas and where the capacity to build on Australia’s strengths has been identified. The areas are, firstly, space science and astronomy; secondly, marine and climate science; and, thirdly, future industries based on biotechnology and nanotechnology.

What makes this amendment bill so desirable is that it supports and nurtures future generations of potentially exceptional Australians and international researchers. It makes available to them a real opportunity to build their science careers here, in this country. We have only to look at some of the unfortunate patterns of emigration from this country in the past to see that we have tended to lose our better science brains. People moved elsewhere in order to continue their research. One of the things that we are trying to do and that is part of the endeavour of this bill is to recognise and to encourage the development of scientific minds here, in this country.

We know that, if we are going to develop, whether it be advanced manufacturing, whether it be marine and climate science or nanotechnology or the space sciences, if we are going to be involved in those areas, our chances of being involved in the downstream aspects in terms of everything from the development of technology through to actual manufacture come from the application of the original research. I think this is a smart thing for a country to do, to invest in its future by investing in young people to continue their advanced scientific research with a view to being able to develop, and commercialise in due course, those pieces of technology which will be so essential for the future of this country, both economically and in terms of dealing with those matters where those sciences have been specifically targeted.

The bill also provides for research in the bionic science and technology initiative. As I indicated, this was an initiative that arose out of the 2020 response. It is certainly a long-term project and it obviously has been buoyed by Australia’s success in research on the bionic ear. That in turn, apart from having led to very successful development of those technologies associated with the bionic ear, has allowed for many Australian jobs to be generated and a new industry to emerge as a consequence of that. If we are going to be a smarter nation, we must follow up upon these applications and this is the spirit we must apply to research itself.

It is also noteworthy that the bill provides continued funding for National Information and Communication Technology Australia, NICTA. As I said earlier, NICTA is Australia’s information and communication technology centre of excellence and plays an important role in building Australia’s research and skill base. It is certainly a key for our national innovation assets and it plays a very important role. It was established in 2002 and is very much a national organisation with laboratories now in four cities: Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. It employs in excess of 700 people. This is certainly one of our scientific successes. I trust that this continued funding will go a long way to assisting NICTA, which aspires to be one of the top 10 world research centres by the year 2020. We target a lot of things. We target being competitive in the Olympics and a whole series of other things, which is only appropriate for a country which has pride in itself. But if we are serious about our future, we should be assisting NICTA in making that achievement of being in the top 10 of world research centres by 2020. That is a very good ambition for us to have.

Finally, this bill also applies indexation against the existing programs under the National Competitive Grants Program. The Australian Research Council funds research and researchers under the National Competitive Grants Program as part of its commitment to nurturing and creating creative abilities and nurturing the skills of Australia’s most promising researchers.

This amendment is of particular importance considering all universities, including those that operate in my neck of the woods in south-western Sydney, primarily the University of Western Sydney, are eligible to apply for funding under the National Competitive Grants Program. In fact later today, together with other members who represent constituencies in south-western Sydney, I will be meeting with the University of Western Sydney to discuss more specifically some of the aspects of sustaining quality teaching and research conducted at UWS, particularly in areas that we are talking about today such as overcoming social disadvantage. The university’s commitment to the region is beyond question and its ability to be able to research is also very well recognised in our local communities. But having the opportunity to apply and be funded under the National Competitive Grants Program makes all that real and plays a very significant role in delivering the benefits of this research to regions in which I and many others live.

Since the university is coming in to see us a little later on today, I will mention that they have been funded for 70 projects under the program, totalling some $21 million so far. To give you an indication of the sort of research that is being pursued, the title of one project is ‘Bridging the gap on locational disadvantage: impact of community identified interventions on social capital, psychosocial and socio-economic outcomes.’ Another topic that is pretty near to my heart given my long-standing relationship with policing—in a positive way—is ‘Police Leadership in the 21st Century: redesigning roles and practices.’ Another project is called ‘Closing the gap for Aboriginal primary students in low density schools: a qualitative analysis of the impact of culturally inclusive pedagogy.’ As most people know, the area I represent in Werriwa has one of the highest Aboriginal populations in the state, and this is something that UWS, through this funding, is playing a critical role in researching. The final project I will mention is ‘Visual optimisation of patient flow in hospital emergency departments.’ I know my colleague Dr Andrew McDonald, the state member for Macquarie Fields and also a paediatrician at Campbelltown Hospital, has a very keen interest in that particular project. I think he is also an associate professor at UWS—Andrew does get around!

I certainly support this bill. I think it is one which lends significant weight to our commitment to back Australia in the future. The only way to do that is by committing resources to ensure that the level of research necessary to develop all these things we need for the future, all these technologies that we want to part of and someday hope to be economic beneficiaries of, is maintained. This will go a long way to ensuring that that research is conducted here in Australia and, as a consequence, the downstream aspects of development, commercialisation and manufacturing are something that this country can aspire to. I commend this bill to the House.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to support the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010 because it really does demonstrate this government’s commitment to fostering local research and increasing Australia’s capacity for developing innovative solutions to modern problems. For Australia to remain competitive in this era of globalisation, it must be smarter and more innovative. Australia’s contribution to the global body of knowledge has been and is substantial. For example, Howard Florey, a fellow Adelaidian, was instrumental in the development of penicillin, the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories contributed significantly to the development of the modern cochlear implant and the CSIRO’s substantial body of achievements range from everyday conveniences such as Aeroguard through to developing wireless local area network technology that is now the world standard used by millions of homes and offices to access the internet. The CSIRO is now working on new technology to ensure that people in remote and isolated communities can have access to high-speed internet on a more cost-effective basis than fibre optic cable. These are examples of previous innovations and previous issues that have been researched by great Australians and have really contributed to the global body of research.

We need to continue this push: we need to push forward on new frontiers of science if we are going to remain competitive and innovative. This has a huge impact not only in the areas of science; it is also so important for the commercialisation of those ideas to actually go forward and provide real jobs and real niches for people within our community.

I would like to take this opportunity to commend the minister responsible not only for this bill and amendment today but also for the innovation review that he conducted. This innovation review was very broad reaching, and really did a lot to look at how we can be a more innovative country and be a world leader in many areas. This is a very important bill to complement that and therefore I will go through a little bit about what the bill will do. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the work of Professor Margaret Shiel, the CEO of the ARC, and her team at the Australian Research Council for their expertise and diligence in ensuring that public money reaches projects that will benefit the nation.

I wholeheartedly agree with the words of Senator Carr who, when announcing the new Independent Australian Research Council Advisory Council, stated:

Research is a matter of vital national importance, the outcomes of which have a significant impact on Australia’s ongoing prosperity …

Just to illustrate this, I will mention two projects that the ARC is currently funding that do have that national importance and relevance to my local area.

Late last year the Australian Research Council announced approximately $21 million for researchers in South Australia. That money will go to 66 projects, including a study into the environmental variability in South Australia’s Lower Lakes. Any person who has kept an eye on issues in South Australia will know that the plight of the Lower Lakes is one of the important and desperate areas that need to be addressed. We have seen a drought along the Murray-Darling system that has left the end of the system very much compromised. So having a study that will look at this—the variability and the ecology of the area and how that is responding to the drought—will also have the potential to lead to new innovative practices to ensure we can restore this important local, and also national, asset.

That is one of the programs. As water is such an important issue in South Australia I also want to mention another of the ARC projects there: the work that is being undertaken by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, supported by the ARC grants. This project is carrying out research to better understand how to manage Australia’s subsurface water systems and ways to harness this resource for the benefit of farmers and agricultural communities. They are also looking at the interaction between surface and subsurface water systems and how to give comprehensive advice to policy makers and local communities to ensure that our scarcest resource is managed properly. These are two examples of research that has been funded partly publicly by the ARC that are really going to solve important issues of our time.

I am very pleased that this bill is making available over $800 million more in the forward estimates to actually do a number of things. The first is to provide indexation to some of the competitive grants. It will also deliver on the commitment we made in the budget about some specific targeted areas. I will speak about those briefly.

The first has been mentioned by previous speakers. This budget initiative and this bill go towards funding the Super Science Fellowships Scheme, which will consist of 100 three-year early career fellowships to be awarded to Australia’s most promising young researchers. This is really important because previously the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation, after a long inquiry, found that there did need to be support for early career scientists because they were being lost—either going outside of the research area into other industries or leaving the country. This is very, very important to encourage those brightest scientists to continue on in the research field and contribute to Australia’s innovation agenda.

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This is very important bill. These fellowships will target the areas in which Australia excels. The innovation review in its report, Powering ideas: an innovation agenda for the 21st century, recommended that fellowships be offered in three targeted areas: space science astronomy, marine and climate sciences, and future industry research of biotechnology and nanotechnology. These are all cutting-edge research areas in which Australia already does well. We can continue to push the boundaries. These fellowships will go a long way to help to do that.

The second area relates to funding for the National ICT Australia organisation, which was recommended as part of the 2020 Summit. NICTA is an institution that does a huge amount in research and innovation in the area of ICT. Supporting it will enhance Australia’s ability to fully capture the social and economic benefits that ICT capability can deliver across all sectors. Already we have seen the previous generation of research into ICT being rolled out in Australia under the National Broadband Network. I am very pleased that Willunga in my electorate was chosen as the first places in Australia to have a demonstration site of fibre to the house. That technology I know will make a huge contribution to connecting people socially. I have already had people with a disability talking about how having fast internet will revolutionise their lives—they will be able to connect with more people and they will feel less isolated. Obviously the economic benefits of the National Broadband Network are evident, with businesses being able to compete more in a global market. We are seeing the rollout of technology that will revolutionise our lives. Pushing that frontier forward under the National ICT Australia to develop global advances in ICT I think is incredibly important. This bill will make available money for this organisation. This was not only a recommendation made at the 2020 Summit but also a commitment we made. As the previous speaker mentioned, National ICT Australia has the aim of becoming one of the 10 best research institutes across the globe. Certainly I, along with the previous speaker, would like to see that supported.

The third objective of this bill is to provide funding for the Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative. It also delivers on the government’s promise as part of the 2020 Summit response to implement a long-term national health strategy. This research has the potential to give and restore sight to thousands of people around the world. Once again, this is an example of cutting-edge research being conducted in Australia that will have the potential to change lives not just in Australia but across the world.

In conclusion, this is an important bill and an important complement to our significant revolution in the area of research under Minister Carr, who has been really looking at how we can best foster innovation in Australia. This bill, along with the many other initiatives taken, will help Australia to become a real player into the future and enable it to hold its head high on the international stage. I commend the bill to the House.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to make a short contribution to this debate, but the length of my contribution does not reflect the importance that I place on this piece of legislation, the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010. Unfortunately, I have to be somewhere else and I am able to only make a very short contribution. I am quite passionate about research and the need for us as a nation to invest in research, to make sure research projects are properly funded and to ensure that as a government we support science.

For many years we have not given the support that we need to give to our science graduates and to supporting scientists once they complete their studies. I believe that this legislation does assist to that degree. It provides funding for the Australian Research Council to support research schemes. It also provides funding for the 2009-10 budget initiative, the Super Science Fellowships scheme, it continues funding of the National ICT Australia and provides funding for Australia’s 2020 commitment, the Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology initiative.

It is very important that we note that the National Competitive Grants Program is of benefit to each of us in this parliament. Those of us who have universities or students who attend nearby universities benefit from these research programs. The Newcastle University, which is staffed by people who live in the Shortland electorate and is attended by students who live in the Shortland electorate, has been a beneficiary of the National Competitive Grants Program over the years and currently.

The Super Science Fellowship scheme is one of the strategies that the Rudd government has introduced to address the brain drain, where our brightest science graduates tend to go overseas because they cannot get the recognition and cannot undertake the kinds of programs that they wish to. The Super Science Fellowship scheme consists of 100 three-year early career fellowships to be awarded to the most promising young researchers, allowing them to continue to have the opportunity to work in areas of national significance during the global recession.

We need to keep those scientists, the 100 recipients of those early career fellowships, in this country because they are the future of science in Australia. We need those graduates to make a commitment to science here in this country, to be at the cutting edge of scientific endeavour. This fellowship scheme makes that possible. It will attract the brightest young graduates and encourage them to remain here in Australia. That is one aspect of this legislation that I think is of vital importance to the future of science in this country and to the future of Australia as a nation, where we can be making sure that we are involved in the latest research and the latest technologies that are produced.

This bill also provides funding for research into bionic vision science and technology. This is something that has been developed in response to the 2020 Summit. I note that the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research last year nominated two teams to share $50 million funding to develop a bionic ear. That happened in December last year. These are the sorts of projects that will be looked at under this initiative.

These are important initiatives that will position Australia at the cutting edge of science and technology. I am sure members on the other side would want to support our young scientists and support new technologies. I would be most disappointed if any members on the other side of this House did not see the benefit to Australia of the research grants that were given at the end of last year by the minister for developing bionic eye science and technology.

The bill also provides additional funding for the National ICT Australia, which plays an important role in building Australia’s research and skill base and is a key national innovation asset. It is important to note that NICTA employs 700 people. This is an independent company specialising in information and communication technology—the cutting edge of fast-speed broadband—and will be important in positioning Australia in the world as a leader rather than a follower. This is what this legislation is about—positioning Australia to be leaders and making sure that we are at the cutting edge of science and technology. The Rudd government is making a commitment to the future of Australia.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank the members for Indi, Deakin, Herbert, Chisholm, Flynn, Werriwa, Kingston and Shortland for their contributions to this debate on the Australian Research Council Amendment Bill 2010. This bill will support the ongoing operations of the Australian Research Council in three specific initiatives that will build Australia’s research capacity and promote research excellence. The bill updates the special appropriation amount administered by the Australian Research Council to include new funding for research in bionic vision science and technology, new funding for the Super Science Fellowships Scheme, continued funding for National ICT Australia and additional out-year, and indexation of existing appropriation amounts in the Australian Research Council Act 2001.

The invention of a bionic eye will not only give and restore sight to tens of thousands of people around the world; it will also generate know-how that can be applied in many other areas. The 100 three-year super science fellowships will support the next generation of researchers, complementing our Australian Laureate Fellowships Scheme for established researchers and future fellowships for researchers in mid-career. Continued funding for National ICT Australia, the largest information and communication technology research organisation in Australia, is vital to ensure that Australia maintains its good reputation for research and training, and commercialisation in this vital area. This bill will increase spending by approximately $889 million over four financial years. The proposed amendments change the administered special appropriation; they do not alter the substance of the act or increase departmental funds. It is routine but important legislation that will support the research we need to address global problems and maintain Australian living standards. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.

Ordered that the bill be reported to the House without amendment.