Academy responds to competitiveness agenda

The Australian Government this week announced its Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda, described as a plan for a strong and competitive economy. The agenda and its initiatives have drawn the interest of the Australian Academy of Science.

The agenda outlines the establishment of five non-profit ‘industry growth centres’ which aim to link industry and science. The Academy’s Secretary of Science Policy, Professor Les Field, said, “Anything which gets science closer with industry has got to be a big plus, especially when this is an area where Australia traditionally struggles.”

Professor Field suggested that the centres could perhaps combat the ‘valley of death’ - the period where an idea is not yet at the stage of being able to attract investment. He did, however, note that there should be a “healthy balance” between user-driven and pure research programs.

The government has also announced the Commonwealth Science Council as the pre-eminent body for advice on science and technology in Australia. The new body replaces the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, which has not convened since the last federal election.

Chaired by the Prime Minister, the Science Council will advise the government on areas of national strength, current and future capability and on ways to improve connections between government, research organisations, universities and business. Five eminent scientists, researchers and educators and five business leaders will make up the majority of the council to ensure discussions address the need for industry and science to work together closely to boost Australia’s competitiveness.

“It is encouraging to hear there will be a new body for dialogue between the government, industry and the scientific community,” Professor Field said. “It is particularly good to see the Prime Minister is chairing this important new council himself, joined by scientific and business leaders, many of whom are Academy Fellows.”

The government further announced a $12 million investment to improve the focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in primary and secondary schools across the country. Under the initiative, the government will:

• Invest $7.4 million to provide innovative mathematics resources for primary and secondary school teachers and students.
• Invest $3.5 million to provide greater exposure to computer coding across different year levels in Australian schools to expand the pool of ICT-skilled workers.
• Provide $500,000 for an innovation-focused Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) pilot program to help develop the next generation of innovators and job-ready graduates.
• Increase student participation in the ‘Summer schools for STEM students’ program, with a focus on girls, disadvantaged and Indigenous students and those living in regional and remote areas.

Professor Field was particularly supportive of this measure, saying, “In the long term, this will undoubtedly have the most significant impact on the skills of the Australian workforce as a whole and the competitiveness of Australian industry.”

The STEM investment is of particular interest given the recent release of the National Curriculum review, released last week. The review mostly endorsed the present science curriculum; however, one reviewer (Professor Igor Bray) attracted controversy by suggesting that science should not be introduced until Year 3.

“The F-6 curriculum is considerably overcrowded due to the inappropriate imposition of high-level disciplines to the lower (F-2) years,” Professor Bray said. “Instead, the formative years should be dominated by the core literacy, numeracy, social and physical development. The latter years are the appropriate time for engaging in greater breadth of learning, and also increasing the depth of learning undertaken in previous years.”

This statement was rebuked by Shelley Peers, the development director of the Australian Academy of Science’s primary school science program, Primary Connections. She said, “Curious young children have a great capacity to learn about science, even in the very early years of primary school. We should use every opportunity to harness this natural desire to learn how the world works.”

The Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda can be found here.