Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

This is a very serious question. We understand that women who leave the workforce for family reasons are disadvantaged by the application processes that have traditionally focused on a researcher’s track record. That is why the ARC is replacing the concept of track record with fairer criteria of research opportunity and performance evidence. The ARC is also supporting the next generation of talented women researchers through the early career researchers awards. We know that we cannot afford to let the talents of half our population go to waste. The Howard years left a legacy of broken careers, underfunded projects and disillusioned workers. The Gillard Labor government recognise that a world-class research sector demands a world-class research workforce and we are building our measures to support all our researchers, unlike the miserable record—(Time expired)