Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In June last year I spoke in this place about a constituent of mine, Dr Julia Sarant, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Dr Sarant is the chief investigator of grants from the Australian Research Council worth over $1 million. Her primary grant covers the research project and her staff, but not her own salary. Dr Sarant therefore required a federally funded fellowship salary grant. But whilst both the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council provide salary grants, these grants could not be applied for by those working in a part-time capacity. You could apply full time, then go part time, but not apply part time.

Two years on from my first representations to the then Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and the then Minister for Health and Ageing, and since forming the Parliamentary Friendship Group of Women in Maths, Science and Engineering early last year, the ARC and the NHMRC have changed their funding rules making part-time researchers eligible to apply for fellowship funding. I am pleased to report to the House that Dr Sarant has recently signed agreements with both organisations.

We should be encouraging more women to consider careers in science, maths and engineering, but barriers such as those limiting applications for part-time grants where there is already the capacity to work part time do not assist. Women like Dr Sarant should be able to have a fulfilling career and family life at the same time, and I am glad that the government, the ARC and the NHMRC have seen the error of their ways and capitalised on this great talent.