Shorten promises to lift R&D to 3% of GDP

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has renewed Labor’s pledge to lift R&D spending to 3 per cent of GDP.

Labor leader Bill Shorten promises to boost R&D spending and have a major review of research.

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: research promise, getting ready for Labor, ARC guarantee

Big pledge on R&D

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten has brought joy to universities by renewing his party’s pledge to lift Australia’s spending on research and development from the current 1.8 per cent to 3 per cent of GDP should it win government. Furthermore Labor has committed to a “root and branch” inquiry to look across all areas of government to recommend how to strengthen the nation’s research capabilities.

“For the past five years, science and scientists have been denigrated or ignored, and funding has been cut, because the government refuses to listen to the experts on climate change, energy policy, and growing inequality in Australia,” Mr Shorten and science and research spokesman Kim Carr, said in a statement.

Cosying up to Labor

In a sign of how much the university and associated research community is preparing for a Labor government, an all star group of academics, researchers and policy specialists have agreed to join the panel which will carry out Labor’s research review.

Former chief scientist and ANU vice-chancellor Ian Chubb will chair it. Others who have agreed to join are UNSW’s Emma Johnston who is president of Science and Technology Australia, Andrew Holmes who was until last year president of the Australian Academy of Science, Glyn Davis who has just stepped down as University of Melbourne vice-chancellor, University of WA medical researcher and surgeon Christobel Saunders and University of Queensland’s public policy specialist Karen Hussey. Also joining is businessman Phil Clark who chairs the NSW Skills Board, and chairs the research industry advisory board for the ATN group of universities.

It will be illegal to do a Birmo

Another reason for universities’ loving embrace of Labor is a further Shorten promise to “restore the integrity of the Australian Research Council” by legislating a requirement that if a minster rejects any ARC recommendation for research funding then reasons must be tabled in parliament within 15 sitting days. In other words it promises to pass a law which says that, in future, former Education Minister Simon Birmingham’s action in vetoing ARC funding recommendations, and keeping the action secret, will be illegal.