When the freshly-minted Prime Minister Tony Abbott declined for the first time since 1931 to appoint a science minister as part of his Cabinet in September last year, he did so having made an election promise four months earlier to “provide the long term, stable policies and vision that our nation’s scientists and researchers need to excel in their work”.
He then asked scientists to judge the government on its “performance, not by our titles”.
It’s judgement day, and the results – on the whole – are not good.
Future fund at a cost
As a medical researcher, I cannot help but be excited by the vision promised by a Medical Research Future Fund as it provides for sustainable long term funding. I am extremely disheartened, though, by the sacrifices that are proposed for creating this fund.
I am concerned that our future investment in science will be funded by those who rely upon...
