Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Sinodinos, the Minister representing the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. Is it still government policy to cut the research and development tax incentive by 1½ percentage points?

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am not aware of that policy being reviewed.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I also refer to the fact that cuts to science, research and innovation in the government's first two budgets total more than $3 billion. Now that we apparently have a Prime Minister who understands the value of innovation, when will the government reverse these short-sighted cuts to innovation, science and research?

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think this is a bit rich coming from Senator Carr. I can remember years ago he had various research and industry measures being reversed in order to promote higher education and then cut out of higher education to promote industry and the competitiveness agenda of the previous government. If we have more to say on our innovation agenda, watch this space.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given the success of the Cooperative Research Centres in boosting collaboration between research and industry, why hasn't there been a single competitive round of funding for the new CRC since the government came to office? When will the next funding round actually open?

Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can tell you this: we are languishing at the bottom of the OECD rankings on government-research-industry collaboration. That is after all the so-called efforts that your side of politics made in government. We will come up with an innovation agenda which will address collaboration, will address venture capital and will address start-ups.