The Australian 20 September 2012
Getting a hearing from government is increasingly difficult, Australian Academy of Science president Suzanne Cory has told theAcademy of Sciences for Developing Countries General Conference in Tianjin in China.
In the early years of the academy’s history, there was a high level of cooperation between scientists, engineers and government in Australia, Since that time, however, the increasing pace of social change has made it increasingly difficult to get the ear of government.’
Professor Cory, one of Australia’s most eminent scientists, said the popular media, professional lobbyists and noisy interest groups now make many claims upon governments, irrespective of their logical or empirical veracity.
Over the last 15 or so years, the Australian government has gradually responded to the noise and increasingly accommodated such claimants. This has had the unfortunate effect of diminishing government regard for science as its primary source of reliable knowledge or even as a primary means to address major national challenges.’