The release of the National Science Statement and the National Science and Research Priorities that support it signal an important first step to focus and scale Australia's science and research activity, which is needed to meet our national and global challenges.
The Academy applauds the Australian Government on having the discipline to identify science and research priorities. However, they will be ineffective without an implementation plan to drive action across government portfolios, industry and the research sector.
Previous science and research priorities were ineffective because they lacked implementation, monitoring and evaluation and therefore did little to focus and scale up science and research in the identified areas.
President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Chennupati Jagadish said both documents clearly illustrate the critical underpinning role science and research play to our economy, wellbeing, job creation and national security and to the success of the Future Made in Australia policy.
"It's imperative that the priorities are backed by a robust implementation plan that clarifies how ministers across governments, and the industry and research sectors can use the levers available to them to turn words into action.
"If the government is serious about implementing its core industrial policy-Future Made in Australia-it will be serious about implementing the National Science and Research Priorities.
"When supported with investment, the National Science and Research Priorities can drive scientific and technological progress at the scale we need to meet our national and global challenges.
"Australia needs urgently to transition its economy to make it more complex and resilient to external shocks.
"This requires us to prioritise those activities only Australia can perform and those that we must perform to have a seat at the global decision-making table."
The Academy thanks Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE for consulting widely and leading the national conversation on behalf of the government to inform this work.
