General comments on science research and science education spending
“While the Academy welcomes investments in research grant funding and research infrastructure, this Budget unfortunately represents a missed opportunity to support a strategic long-term vision for Australia’s future. The investment has been small and short-term in the same year in which the Government has announced $3.3 billion in cuts and deferrals to research and higher education.
The Academy will always welcome strong support for schools, but a world-class education does not end at the age of 18. We must invest in tertiary education and R&D over the long term to create high quality jobs, attract and retain leading researchers, and yield meaningful results to secure our economic, environmental and social wellbeing.”
Professor Suzanne Cory is President of the Australian Academy of Science
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"It is pleasing to the see the Government has recognised the importance of both the mid-career fellowships offered by the Australian Research Council and big infrastructure, with funding to operate and maintain critical projects.
However these measures come in addition to the very damaging $3.8 billion in university cuts. The exact impacts are not yet known, as universities struggle to slash their budgets, but one thing is certain - the cuts will...
