Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In taking note of answers this afternoon, let me assist in taking note of Senator Carr’s excellent, innovative and forthright answer in respect of the CSIRO. We need to place on record that there is in fact an increase—a ‘modest’ increase, to quote the minister—in the budget of the CSIRO, which will now get an allocation of $676 million over 2008-09.

I know that my constituents in the Territory who work at CSIRO or who used to work at CSIRO under the previous government will be able to relate to this: the previous government were the ones responsible for closing down the plant industry division in the Northern Territory—an division that was doing innovative research on mangoes, bananas and such crops of the north—and decided, in absolute blindness and stupidity, to ensure that those officers were relocated to Canberra. I cannot see too many activities relating to mangoes and bananas happening in this climate, I have to say. If we want to look at track records in respect of the CSIRO and job losses, do not look any further than the people opposite me. They gave no care and no thought whatsoever to the innovation and research that was happening in the Top End of this country. Contracts were not renewed—eminent scientists in that division were forced to move to Brisbane to undertake their work.

We have now a minister who is passionate about research in this country. He has been tracking the work of CSIRO over many years and has ensured that CSIRO will get a modest increase in their allocation. Why is that? The increase will be modest because we have said from the beginning that this is a responsible budget. This budget will put us into the future. It will allocate increases to programs where they are deemed to have a capacity to build our country, to ensure that research and innovation become front and centre of what we do in this country. That is why a modest increase is going to the CSIRO. Some programs have been streamlined and new priorities will contribute to the fiscal discipline. We know that savings will be applied to ANSTO and to CSIRO, resulting in $47 million over four years, I might add. The bottom line is that the CSIRO will enjoy a modest increase, taking their appropriations for 2008-09 to $676 million.

This government is actually putting the future of this country—our industries, development and innovation—front and centre. I have not in my years in this Senate seen the previous government—the opposition now—try to defend its record, and now it is trying to attack us on our record. This will not stack up at all when you look at the history of the previous government’s treatment of the CSIRO and research and innovation.

We have an innovation policy that will be aimed at ending the brain drain, an innovation policy that will work in partnership with business. It will tackle climate change and provide more effective support to small business and innovative companies. We will be about driving productivity and economic growth, through advancing our industries in this country. You do it through research and you do it through no better organisation in this country than the CSIRO, so we will be increasing their budget. We will make sure the research they do is relevant and appropriate to their industries. Unlike the people opposite me, we will be ensuring that industries such as the plant division in the Top End would stay in places like the Top End and not be relocated around this country and closed, or contracts not renewed and jobs lost. We are a government that will place research such as that done by CSIRO front and centre of our future reforms and the future growth of this country. We have done that through this budget. We will continue to do that through our priorities. (Time expired)