What Price Knowledge? Commonwealth Government cuts research and development
25 July 2000
The Government’s falling investment in research and development is costing Australia its best minds. It’s also reducing Australia’s opportunities to participate in the `knowledge economy,’ says the National Tertiary Education Union.
NTEU President Dr Carolyn Allport was commenting on the release of figures by the ABS which show a decline in Government and private investment in R & D since 1996. The figures show that
· R & D expenditure by the Commonwealth Government fell by 5.6% between 1996-97 and 1998-99.
· The Commonwealth’s investment in human resources devoted to research fell by nearly 9%.
· Expenditure on research by state and federal governments has fallen from 0.43% of GDP in 1990-91 to 0.35% of GDP in 1998-99.
· Commonwealth Government investment in pure basic and strategic basic research has fallen by nearly $9m between 1996-97 and 1998-99. This represents a fall of over 2%.
`Universities are the site of most basic research, which provides the platform for applied research and innovation,’ said Dr Allport. `By reducing funding to universities and reducing investment in R & D, the Howard Government is shutting down the knowledge powerhouses. ‘
`It is also contributing to the brain drain. A recent survey of workloads conducted by the NTEU found that the single biggest cause of discontent among academic staff was lack of opportunities to undertake research. There are simply not the funds nor the infrastructure to support the fine research of which Australia is capable.’
`We are swimming against the global tide,’ she continued. `In the same week as we heard that our Government was reducing funded postgraduate research places by 3,500, the British Government announced a one billion pound investment in R & D, with most of it supporting postgraduate scholars.’