Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Labor finds the prescriptive nature of the amendment relating to the College of Experts a bit difficult. We do not believe that the parliament should be setting up such a specific formula for peer review. The government and the parliament should set out clear guidelines for what we want the ARC to achieve and make sure that those objectives are achieved. The mechanics of how those processes are achieved—for instance, the mechanics of peer review and international best practice change—are really up to the body with the expertise, and that is not the parliament. We should not be limiting the ARC’s ability to change to update its processes. But we are supporting the amendment, because we believe that some sort of protection would be better than nothing.

Question negatived.

Bill agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment; report adopted.