Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Minister, Australia has been an international exporter of forestry knowledge and innovation for decades, but with the finalisation of forestry CRCs and the imminent end of the National Centre for Future Forest Industries at the University of Tasmania Australia's research and development capacity is fast disappearing. Minister, what is the government doing to arrest this decline and retain forestry expertise in Australia?

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

I thank the member for Denison for his question without notice. I have to tell him, in answer to his question, that the decision with respect to the forestry research grants to which he refers—that would have gone to the national centre for forestry CRC—was made by the previous government, before 30 June last year, and was not as a consequence of any decision this government has made.

On the broader issue of forestry research, let me tell him that I think the future for forestry research is very bright in Australia. Over the last four years, $13.7 million has been spent on forestry research. The CSIRO still maintains a large forest-sciences division, which they intend to continue to support.

Mr Fitzgibbon interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Hunter!

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

I would note that industry has reduced its contribution to the CSIRO's forestry sciences division over the last few years, which has not happened in other aspects of CSIRO's work—whether it is manufacturing or agriculture et cetera—so I would urge industry to reinvest in forestry science. I should also tell him that three of our universities in Australia have the highest rating possible, internationally, for their forest sciences courses and research. One of them is the University of Tasmania. Another is Southern Cross University, where I visited recently with the member for Page, and the other one is the University of Western Sydney. Given where the University of Western Sydney resides, it is an interesting success story for them. Those three universities have category 5 ratings, internationally, which is the best they can get, and three other institutions have at-world-standard forest sciences in their universities. So forestry science is well represented at the university level.

At a broader level, we are spending $11 billion on research over the next four years in our university institutions. It is an increase on what was being spent before, because the Prime Minister has a particular commitment to research, not just medical research but also research in our institutions, especially research that can be commercialised. I might just say, given the reform bill is being introduced tomorrow into higher education, one aspect of that is an increase in expenditure on research under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure scheme, a scheme that was coming to a funding cliff under Labor, and in a commitment to future fellows, 100 future fellows ever year for the next four years—another funding cliff left to us by Labor.

I thank the member for Denison for his question. I can tell him that other research grants were made in forest sciences to other institutions, not to the one that he refers. The government did put $24 million into UTAS recently, for the Antarctic Gateway, and I hope he will ask me more questions about education in the future.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Perth will remove herself under 94(a).