No science minister for Coalition government?

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott yesterday announced the incoming ministry for the new federal government, to be sworn in this week. It has been observed that several ministerial titles have been simplified, while a minister for science appears to have been omitted altogether.

Abbott has indicated the area of science will “largely” be the responsibility of his new Minister for Industry, Ian Macfarlane, whose portfolio will also include resources, energy, innovation and the CSIRO. But Liberal MP Dennis Jensen has suggested that science should also have a place within education; thus, the portfolio may be shared with the new Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne.

Macfarlane was previously Minister for Industry (Tourism and Resources) during the last two terms of the Howard government. He was appointed by Abbott following Sofie Mirabella’s departure from the ministry, having held the position of Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research for the last four years.

Representatives from Australian science organisations are said to be “confused and disappointed” by the lack of a dedicated science minister, according to Science & Technology Australia CEO Catriona Jackson.

“Science and technology are central to virtually everything government does, from industry, to universities, to agriculture, to health, to creating the kind of jobs that will ensure a prosperous future,” she said.

“We await the release of the government’s administrative arrangement documents, which will hopefully give further clarity about who is responsible for science.”

The Australian Academy of Science’s Secretary for Science Policy, Professor Les Field, says the academy hopes to hear an announcement about the minister for science within the next few days.

“We would be heartened to hear that Ian Macfarlane has charge of a broader science portfolio, not just the CSIRO,” Professor Field said. “Mr Macfarlane has long been interested in and engaged with science.

“Science reaches into so many areas of our lives and is so important to informing and shaping the world in which we live and work … A scientifically literate society is a society which is equipped to hold informed debate and make intelligent decisions about big issues that affect us all.”

Biotechnology organisation AusBiotech appears more optimistic about Macfarlane’s appointment, with CEO Dr Anna Lavelle saying the minister “has already earned great respect for his role in developing the biotechnology industry in its earlier years”. He is credited with support for a national approach to the industry, including programs and initiatives to develop Australia’s biotechnology sector.

“Ian Macfarlane’s ministry has the greatest potential to support the biotechnology industry and the timing is perfect given the industry’s potential to increasingly contribute to the Australian economy through jobs, exports and value creation, as the mining boom softens,” said Dr Lavelle.

The full list of new ministers and parliamentary secretaries can be found here.