Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr. Given that the minister has discontinued funding for the Australian Biosecurity CRC, can he tell the Senate whether the government is aware of that none of the field veterinary work associated with the hendra virus outbreak is undertaken by CSIRO and but by scientists in Queensland whose work is funded by the Australian Biosecurity CRC?

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

Senator Back, I can inform you that the work undertaken in Queensland is done by the CSIRO. It is true that in the past some funding for that research was undertaken by the CSC but, as I indicated to you yesterday, the CSIRO is—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Careful, Kim!

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

Senator Macdonald, taking advice from you on care would, I think, be a foolhardy exercise.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, ignore the interjections. Interjections are disorderly. Address the chair.

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

I indicated to you yesterday that the CRC for biosecurity failed in its bid in the 11th round; it chose, for whatever reason, not to present for the 12th round. They were one of 10 CRCs in the 11th round that did not go to the second stage. The decision was made by the expert selection committee of the CRCs. The CRC for biosecurity is one source of advice in terms of research on Hendra but in my view the CSIRO is better equipped—given the Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Geelong and given the amount of money we have invested in that laboratory—and better placed to undertake research in this field. Furthermore, the CSIRO has indicated that it is providing additional resources for research into Hendra. It is the CSIRO, in my view, that is better equipped to deal with this matter. But when it all comes down to it, it is as simple as this: I cannot intervene in the CRC selection process under the current guidelines. You would appreciate that matter.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That isn’t what you were saying about the other CRC. Remember that?

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

Senator Abetz, if you knew anything about this you would know that there was never a claim about the rights of the government to intervene in the selection of individual CRCs. In the previous government— (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The field veterinarians doing the work are employed through the Queensland DPI. They will be interested to know that they are now being employed by the CSIRO! Mr President, I have a supplementary question. Can the minister inform the Senate who will fund this vital Hendra fieldwork for both human and animal diseases once the Australian biosecurity CRC for new and emerging diseases ceases to exist in 2010?

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

As I indicated yesterday, it is just plain wrong to assume that the biosecurity CRC is the only way in which the government addresses critical national biosecurity issues. Research into Hendra virus has, for some years, primarily been the responsibility of the CSIRO, which is the nation’s premier public research agency. CSIRO currently conducts most of the research into Hendra in Australia. This goes through the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, which attracts competitive grants—not just support from the Australian government but support from the US government through the US National Institutes of Health. The laboratory is a facility which is world class and has the highest possible security rating, allowing for top-level research on highly infectious diseases. The Animal Health Laboratory’s capacity has been strengthened— (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a further supplementary question. The minister stated in this place yesterday that the CRC’s application for continued funding was not of a high enough quality to earn continued funding. Can the minister then explain how the CRC received a letter to this effect whilst, in the same post on the same day, it was congratulated by the CRC review committee chairman for its excellent intellectual property policies and effectiveness? Will the minister now call the advice of his review committee into question and have it independently assessed?

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

You are aware, surely, of the process which is undertaken by the selection panel. You may well question the judgment of the selection panel—as you obviously have—but the fact remains that under the current guidelines the minister does not have the capacity to intervene in the selection process.

David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Change the guidelines.

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

I have been urged to change the guidelines. It was the previous government that changed the guidelines to withdraw public benefit support as the basis for selection in these rounds. What we have undertaken to do is to provide the assistance we have for the CRC program. There has been an extensive review but, at the end of the day, there were 10 other CRCs that did not get through that particular round on the basis of the advice of the expert panel. (Time expired)