President's 1997 Annual Report

AGC President's 1997 Annual Report

The following is the text of the Annual Report of the President of the AGC, Dr Geoff Hudson, to the Council's Annual Meeting in Adelaide on 17 June 1997.

Registration of geoscientists

At the 1996 Annual Meeting of Council I identified registration of geoscientists as an issue of continuing priority for the Council.

Over the last 12 months, AGC has focussed on a facilitating role in discussions of key aspects of the professional registration issue.

During November, a major survey of 196 individuals and organisations was undertaken to obtain an indication of their understanding and possible implications of registration for geoscientists. The high return rate of 37 percent reflected very strong interest in this topic, with returns showing a high level of general awareness of the issue of registration. As to the perceived impact of registration on individual organisations, the main areas of impact were identified as reserve/resource reporting, stock exchange reporting, and training.

Survey responses reflected wide recognition of the value of professional registration and general rejection of a punitive, restrictive approach to it.

Following strong support in this survey for more extensive discussion of the registration issue, in March 1997 AGC sponsored fora in Perth and Sydney to consider various aspects of registration for geoscientists, including the benefits, costs, ethical standards, competency, continuing development and reciprocity. The CEO of The Institution of Engineers Australia presented a valuable paper on their experiences with professional registration.

Positive outcomes from these fora included informal agreement between AusIMM and AIG that it is in both their interests that registration schemes are as similar as possible and that close cooperation will lead to mutual benefits. Other professional societies are recognising the benefits that come through cooperation. For example, PESA recently decided to approach AIG to assist in registering geoscientists in the petroleum field of practice under the AIG registration scheme.

AGC has been commended by several participants for taking the initiative in arranging the fora. AGC recognises that it has an ongoing role in facilitating discussion of professional registration with government, industry and the community.

Marine geoscience : plan for development

In the early 1990s, in a major study of geoscience in Australia entitled Towards 2005, AGC identified marine geoscience as a key area for national development. Subsequent reviews by other groups confirmed these findings.

In the 1996 budget, one bright spot for marine geoscience was the government's decision to retain a national marine geoscience mapping and research capability. Following sustained lobbying by key groups, including AGC, the Government decided to continue funding over a further two years to enable basic mapping by AGSO of the Australian Ocean Territory.

Later in 1996, Science Minister McGauran announced the formation of an expert Working Group to assist development of Australia's National Marine Science and Technology Plan. Several geoscientists were included in this group and AGC nominees also contributed to the initial draft of a FASTS marine science policy.

In March 1997, following a Marine Geoscience and Technology meeting in Perth which was co- sponsored by AGC, it was decided to set up an AGC working party to develop a Marine Geoscience and Technology Plan.

The AGC plan will be presented to the 1997 Annual Meeting for adoption before it is submitted to the national Working Group set up by the Minister. It is hoped the AGC submission will lead to a government commitment to sustained support for a vigorous, innovative and efficient marine geoscience sector.

Submissions to West and Stocker Reviews

In its submission to the West Review of Higher Education, AGC recommendations focussed on the need to link resourcing in the university sector with community and industry needs. AGC recommended recognition through adequate resourcing of existing centres of specialisation and excellence in earth science research, inclusion of Geology/Earth Science in programs of secondary science teacher education, development of funding models which take account of graduate employment outcomes, and recognition of the significance of applied geoscience to the Australian economy.

AGC also provided input to a FASTS submission to the Stocker Review of Science and Technology in Australia.

Activities of FASTS

AGC is a member of a national science federation representing 40,000 scientists — FASTS, the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies. Our membership enables geoscientists to maximise their access to and influence on national science decision-makers. The importance of FASTS for AGC was highlighted in late 1996 when the Prime Minister announced that FASTS would be a member of his new Science and Engineering Council, PMSEC.

Following input by several peak bodies including AGC, in January FASTS announced an updated list of Top Ten Policies for Australian Science and Technology into the 21st Century; these policies are:

A NATIONAL VISION FOR AUSTRALIA TO 2020 AND BEYOND
FASTS urges the Government to determine a national vision for Australia's sustainable development, and to establish what science and technology is needed to support that future. This process, working through a national summit, should set broad national priorities.
THE DIFFERENTIAL HECS FEES AND SCIENCE
FASTS recommends that the Government monitors science enrolments in universities and the impact of differential HECS fees, and takes immediate remedial action should there be any significant decline in numbers.
SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHING
The Government must address the decline in the quality and quantity of teachers in science and mathematics, and the lack of rigour and substance in Australia's science and mathematics curricula and teaching practices. All students should be taught by appropriately qualified teachers. HECS charges for teaching education should be in the lowest bracket.
ENCOURAGEMENT OF PRIVATE R&D
Funding for private R&D should be increased to internationally competitive levels. Peer- reviewed competitive grants should be used as a mechanism to distribute funds and ensure the quality of research, and the Government should address the shortage of long term venture capital by encouraging superannuation funds to invest in R&D.
RESTRUCTURING THE UNIVERSITIES
Australia has too many universities to be able to offer high-quality science courses in all disciplines at all institutions. FASTS advocates a restructuring process that guarantees access to high-quality science education and research, and which may involve amalgamation or shared teaching.
PROVISION OF CAREER PATHS FOR SCIENTISTS
Too many young scientists face uncertain careers on short term funding. More talented people, especially women, need to be attracted into scientific careers through better remuneration and more secure career paths, with real opportunities to obtain competitive research funding.
INFRASTRUCTURE IN RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
The Government is urged to accelerate its program of replacing worn-out equipment, libraries, computer facilities and buildings in research organisations.
BASIC SCIENCE
A higher proportion of Government funding for science should be directed to basic science, to underpin future developments in applied science.
THE AUSTRALIAN OCEAN TERRITORY
Australia needs to boost its scientific exploration of the AOT in order to exploit marine and seabed resources in a sustainable manner. Government should ensure adequate funding is directed the research agencies in this area, including the provision of a scientific marine fleet.
PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The protection of Australian intellectual property is as vital as its discovery and development. Patent costs should be an allowable R&D expenditure.

Other Developments

Apart from some promising signs on marine geoscience, national geoscience development continues to be downgraded. The Coalition's two budgets and Forward Estimates identify funding cuts which will bite deeply across many earth science departments. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) has been cut. CSIRO has been hit with an "efficiency dividend".

The immediate challenge for all involved with geoscience is to convince government that science and technology based knowledge is essential for our survival in a globalised economy.

Council membership change

I regret to advise that the Australian Geomechanics Society (AGS) terminated its membership of the Council in December 1996.

The AGS was a member of the Australian Geoscience Council for some 15 years and I have written to them to express our appreciation for their sustained and significant support over that time. AGS provided the Council with the important and distinctive perspectives of a key discipline within the geosciences. AGC will miss that input in future.

Notable contributions

I want to thank all members of the Executive Committee who have put considerable effort into progressing several major issues over the past year. I particularly want to thank my predecessor as President while the Committee was based in Perth, Professor Chris Powell; his involvement this year as Past President and AGC representative on the FASTS Board has been of great value.

I especially wish to note the generous support and assistance of AGSO. By making the time and travel costs of Mr Geoff Wood and Dr Clinton Foster available in their roles as Secretary and Treasurer, AGSO has made a major contribution to the work of the Council. Despite major budget cuts in 1996 which forced some curtailment in the level of secretariat support available in early 1997, AGSO recently have reaffirmed their commitment to provide AGC with the secretariat support without which key activities would need to be cut severely.

Future activities and Executive rotation

Over the next year, AGC will build on its facilitating role on the issue of registration while endeavouring to meet the challenges posed by a growing range of government/industry taskforces/reviews and inquiries. All Adelaide-based members of Committee have agreed to continue for another year, which will take AGC through to the mid-1998 biennial move to a new Committee based in Brisbane.

I thank all incoming office holders for their continuing support and hope that the Council will continue to prove effective in its work as the peak body for geoscience in Australia.

G R T Hudson
PRESIDENT