Science met Parliament in a show of support 

The annual Science Meets Parliament conference saw 200 scientists meet with 130 federal parliamentarians in Canberra to discuss science, research and some of the big issues.

The event was a success, with positive feedback from those who attended and acknowledgment of the importance of science and research from the government.

“We had terrific feedback from all 200 scientists who attended,” said Catriona Jackson, Chief Executive Office of Science Technology Australia (STA), who organised the event. “Many reported they had reinforced contact with politicians, had sent materials or planned to send them and had arranged a visit to their lab.”

Scientists spend the first day of the conference hearing about the policy process and different perspectives on how the business of politics works. They then hone their science into a one-minute presentation to present in meetings with parliamentarians in their offices the following day.

“Australia is the only place in which scientists genuinely have a high level of access to parliamentarians in this way, where science is front and centre on the federal agenda,” said Jackson.

One aim of the event is for scientists who attend to establish and maintain relationships with parliamentarians, and STA provides ongoing support for this.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott met with a group of seven scientists from a breadth of scientific areas and at a variety of career stages. According to Jackson, Abbott expressed a strong interest in research but was frank about the current fiscal situation and could not guarantee science would be immune from budget reductions.

Federal Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane gave an address at the conference dinner and indicated his support for medical research and science, calling himself “the minister responsible for science”.

As well as emphasising his support for science and research, MacFarlane acknowledged the government’s intention to strengthen the connections between science, research and industry, saying he was “working to reposition industry in Australia by making sure that we are using the latest innovations and taking advantage of the latest science”.

“He is a strong supporter of Science Meets Parliament,” said Jackson of the Minister for Industry. “There was lots of discussion about the role industry is playing and can play in the future. Many delegates had industry backgrounds, so this was a big theme."