Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you would be aware that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research has completed the Focusing Australia's Publicly Funded Research Review. I am sure you are aware of that. The review was undertaken from February to July 2011. It examined a number of issues in regard to the nature and utility of Australia's publicly funded research arrangements, with a particular focus on priority setting. So I ask this as my introductory question: how will the government's response to this bill affect the operation of the Australian Research Council in relation to the Focusing Australia's Publicly Funded Research Review?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sure, Senator Mason, that the provisions in this bill are perfectly consistent with the priority setting that has been proposed. But, if you bear with me for one moment, I will seek some further details for you.

Unfortunately, Senator Mason, we would like to take that on notice to give you a more definitive response other than our overall view that they are indeed consistent.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, could you let the Senate know who will be included on the Australian Research Committee.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Bear with me a moment and I will find the detail on the composition of the committee.

The CHAIRMAN: While we are waiting, I advise the Senate that this debate will cease at 4.15 pm.

Senator Mason, I am not sure what you mean by 'the committee'. Do you mean the composition of the council itself?

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will there be a representative of the ARC on the Australian Research Committee?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Officers are still unclear on what you mean by the Australian Research Committee.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All right—

The CHAIRMAN: Order, Senators! Rather than just go across the chamber, could you wait till I call you, for two reasons: it keeps the debate under a degree of control and it also enables the people in the audio room to switch the microphones on and off.

Mr Chairman, you are not implying, are you, that I am speaking too softly? That does not happen very often, but let me raise my voice! I ask, then: can the minister explain why HASS—that is, humanities, arts and social sciences—is gaining greater priority than it once had?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Mason. Perhaps you can clarify for me: is that question related to the composition of the committee or is this a separate question about—is it humanities?

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Humanities. Humanities, arts and social sciences are gaining greater priority than they once had—or that is my understanding from having looked at the Focusing Australia's Publicly Funded Research Review. There is a greater priority given to the humanities, arts and social sciences. I am not suggesting that that is necessarily a bad thing; I am simply asking the question.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take it that what Senator Mason is asking about is that the priority settings from the review give a greater emphasis to humanities, arts and social sciences, and you are interested in how that is reflected with respect to the composition of the council. My advice is that the statistics do not actually show that to be the case.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Then what are the current National Research Priorities?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We do not have the list of those here at the moment. Certainly, on notice, we could get those for you fairly quickly. I am conscious that we will be dealing with this matter fairly quickly too, so I am unsure whether that would be made available to you ahead of the vote.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am learning. What are the current National Innovation Priorities? Could you also make that available to the Senate either now or shortly.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Shortly.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In what way will priority goals be measured after the implementation of the Focusing Australia's Publicly Funded Research Review?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Chair, I think I should indicate to Senator Mason that the government will be more than happy to provide him with further information about the priority goals of the review he mentioned, but I am unclear as to how that level of detail at this stage relates to this bill around establishing the Australian Research Council. Certainly they are very meritorious subjects, and matters that interest me also, and we are more than happy to cooperate. But I am sure Senator Mason appreciates that that information is not presently available with these officers with respect to this bill.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The reason I ask is that presently the government is considering, in the context of funding research in this country, looking at the role of and trying to divine how to measure the impact of research on our country, both social and economic. Let me just concede that it is a very difficult measure. My question really related to whether this review will assist and whether the impact is being taken into account in the context of this review. I think the government is right to start assessing impact because without it—how do I put this gently?—some taxpayers find it difficult to fund research when they believe that academics are simply writing for each other. They would prefer something with a social and economic impact.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I venture to answer that question, perhaps I can backtrack to the National Research Priorities. The first of those is An Environmentally Sustainable Australia; the second is Promoting and Maintaining Good Health; the third is Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries; and the final one is Safeguarding Australia. In respect to the question that Senator Mason just raised, I need to be confident that a focus on the outcome or the output from research would be a significant element, but I will wait for further information from the officers. Yes, I can assure him the impact is included in all ARC proposals.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for that. I have a technical question. How will the impact be measured? It is a very simple question.

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Mason and I have both been around long enough to understand that that is far from a very simple question. How the impact will be measured relates to what it is you are seeking to measure and what the project is. As to where it might fit in terms of any of the National Research Priorities, obviously measuring something in relation to an Environmentally Sustainable Australia is going to be different from how you might measure Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. It would be different on a case-by-case basis for the four projects.

I think the important element is a bit like the debates we have in this place about government addressing particular priorities and family impact assessments. Simply making the output one of the significant factors in assessing the projects focuses those who are putting forward projects and those who are assessing them on that issue and how output might appropriately be measured on a case-by-case basis.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, I thank you for detailing the National Research Priorities. The last one you mentioned was Safeguarding Australia. Does it include security and defence issues?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Officers are working on that point. I think it is a very good question because Safeguarding Australia could relate to quite a broad range of security issues. It could pertain to food security or border security. The answer, Senator Mason, is yes.

Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With respect to environmental sustainability, is that a theme that runs through all the criteria for the Research Council grants these days? Environmental sustainability seems to be an overarching policy perspective of the government. Is that a policy direction that runs right through ARC criteria for grants?

Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Off the top of my head, Senator Mason, I could not immediately answer that question. I am not sure it has quite the same status, for instance, as measuring outputs in relation to each project—but bear with me.

The CHAIRMAN: Reluctant as I am to interrupt debate, Senator Collins, time for this debate has concluded. I think we will record 'No' in the Hansard. The question is that the bill stand as printed.

Question agreed to.

Bill reported without amendment; report adopted.