Science & Technology Australia (STA) and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) have praised the National Science and Research Priorities and National Science Statement’s mission to uplift First Nations knowledge systems and redefine Australia’s relationship to science.
Coinciding with National Science Week, the Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon Ed Husic MP, has this morning launched the National Science and Research Priorities and National Science Statement. The hotly anticipated documents are already receiving praise from numerous scientific communities such as STA and ATSE for emphasis on the power of science to overcome Australia’s obstacles.
The National Science Statement details plans to champion and invest in evidence-informed policy, infrastructure, workforce development, teaching, science agencies and global engagement.
STA CEO Ryan Winn, on behalf of more than 225,000 STEM professionals, applauds the “smart roadmap” for Australian science and research outlined in the priorities and the supplementary statement. Winn says the priorities envisage Australia proudly collaborating with First Nations communities to harness the possibilities of scientific innovation.
“The priorities lay out a pathway to the innovative, prosperous country we want and need to be,” says Winn.
Collaborating and consulting with First Nations communities
The priorities promise to bolster the Future Made in Australia agenda and ensure research focuses on net-zero transition, ecological conservation and the development of resilient and sustainable communities.
Winn says the successful achievement of such goals is inseparable from collaborating with Australia’s First Scientists. “Rightly, at the heart of all of those priorities is a strong focus on Australia’s First Scientists – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” he says.
“We welcome the goal that all research that affects or draws from Indigenous knowledge and knowledge systems be led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
ATSE CEO Kylie Walker is similarly reassured and inspired by the commitment to facilitate First Nations people into leadership positions in research and development (R&D).
“This priority positions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as leaders and validates policies to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be crafted and applied in a genuine partnership and shaped by science and research,” says Walker.
National Science and Research Priorities acting as a pillar of guidance
Winn maintains the priorities and National Science Statement will assist in advertising the undeniable value of science in decision making, particularly when devising ways to secure economic prosperity.
On behalf of the STA, Winn is eager to work with the federal government, industry and the university sector to ensure research is in the best position possible to achieve the stipulations of the Future Made Act and meaningfully incorporate First Nations knowledge systems into R&D.
“We look forward to ensuring that research has the support, funding and tools they need to address the challenges facing the nation now and into the future,” says Winn.
Future Made in Australia Act posits hopeful clean energy future.
