Senator Kim Carr

Minister for Education, Dan Tehan MP’s announcement of a “National Interest Test for” Australian research grants is just an attempt to spin his government’s way out of trouble on its arbitrary decision-making regarding the awarding of research grants.
 
A national interest test already exists.
 

Last night Senate Estimates exposed that former Education Minister, Simon Birmingham, secretly vetoed 11 humanities research projects in an attempt to pander to extreme right wing elements of the Liberal-National Coalition. 
 
These projects, which had been independently approved by Australian Research Council, were rejected without explanation. 

Today marks 12 months since the Liberal Government allowed Australia’s last vehicle production plant to close.
 
In its last year before the Liberals took power, the Australian car industry spent almost $700 million per year on research and development and generated exports worth $3.7 billion.    

Labor congratulates the recipients of the 2018 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, who were recognised at an awards ceremony at Parliament House last night.
 
The recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, Emeritus Professor Kurt Lambeck AO, and each of the other recipients are examples of the outstanding talent within Australia’s laboratories, businesses, universities and classrooms.

While the Prime Minister will be spruiking his so-called science credentials tonight at the PM’s Prizes for Science new data reveals that his Government has cut funding for science, research and innovation by 7.7 per cent taking it to an eight year low.      
 
Data released yesterday shows that investment across government in science, research and innovation will be down by $800 million from $10.4 billion in 2017-18 to $9.6 billion in 2018-19.

In less than 12 months Christopher Pyne has delivered three rounds of job losses at ASC, with 372 shipbuilders losing their jobs at Osborne.    
 
Christopher Pyne has let down the workers at Osborne, South Australia, and the Australian shipbuilding industry. He has shown exactly what his promises are worth.   

Why is key information about the nature of the Australian government investment into science, research and innovation apparently being withheld?

What is the current Minister for Industry, Science and Technology (the sixth in five years) Karen Andrews, hiding?

The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews must act to stop an industry worth $5 billion to the Australian economy forced off shore and putting close to 30,000 jobs at risk.  

The Daily Telegraph reports today that the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison government’s changes to “Made in Australia” labelling and interpretations of the legislation by the ACCC will now see local complementary medicine manufacturers stripped of their ability to use the labels.     

A Shorten Labor Government will invest $20 million to transform Western Sydney into a global food security powerhouse, putting Australia at the cutting edge of research on hardier crops, nutrition, and biosafety.

Today that Prime Minister flew into Cairns with nothing to offer the people of Tropical North Queensland but a two-year-old election promise that has still not been fulfilled.

He said that he was in Cairns:

“to announce that the $10 million that we're putting into this innovation centre, that cheque is on the way. I come and I have commitments to make.  I haven't come to make other promises today.”

Scott Morrison MP, 4 September 2018