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7 Landsborough Street 1 December 2000 Mr
Jonathan Shier The fate of
Quantum and Australian Science in the ABC I
am writing on behalf of the Australian Geoscience Council (AGC) regarding the
report in today’s Sydney Morning Herald that your Science Unit will be
disbanded and Quantum axed. The
AGC comprises seven societies and associations, represents most of the
geoscientists in Australia, and has a total membership of about 10 000. Our main
aim is to promote the geosciences, in the best interests of both our constituent
organisations and the Australian nation as a whole. One
of our goals is to support the enhanced perception/awareness of science, and
more particularly the geosciences, in Australia. We strongly believe that the
prosperity of this nation will depend on a strong science & technology
platform, and that we should encourage a culture change within our society to
emphasise the importance of S & T for our future. These
ideas were developed very well in the recently published reports by the Chief
Scientist, Robin Batterham, in his The Chance to Change, and the Miles
Report: Innovation, Unlocking the Future, which is the main output from
the Innovation Summit held in Melbourne earlier this year. Both reports contain
strong arguments on the need for a culture that encourages innovation. For
example, in the Executive Summary of Batterham Report it states: ‘People matter. Without people, Australia has no vision, no ideas and no
SET [Science Engineering & Technology] base to create and anchor ideas and
turn them into products and processes that enhance the quality of our lives. The
SET base is reliant upon people who have progressed through a supportive
educational system, from primary school through to tertiary, and beyond. As
well, people in SET need to have the skills to communicate with the business
world and with the rest of the community. The culture needs to change. We need more support for those who inspire our children to study science and maths. We need to encourage more of our young people to consider studying science in tertiary institutions and we need those students to have a broader range of skills than they currently have, to prepare them for exciting projects in the business world. We should be able to inspire our researchers to enter the teaching world with much greater ease, to transfer crucial knowledge and help excite our children about careers in SET. Science and innovation need a transparent framework of public support within which they can flourish. Public awareness and involvement in the SET base are vital.’ The
Prime Minister has recently stated that he regards Defence, Transport and
Science, as three top issues for the nation. Against this background, and within this environment, the AGC is very
concerned that the ABC is apparently disbanding the Science Unit and ceasing to
produce any more Quantum programs. As the national broadcaster, the ABC has tremendous opportunities to
contribute to the culture change needed in our society. To simply axe Quantum
without giving any reasons, and without outlining what your future plans are in
the science and technology sector is very disappointing. We believe it is appropriate at this time to expand programs that enhance
the public awareness of science and not to cut them back. As Brutus says in Julius Cæsar: ‘There is a tide in the affairs of men We don’t want our children and our children’s children to wallow in
the shallows. We need action now to create a climate in Australia to encourage
Innovation, and the ABC should have a major role to play in this issue. We would therefore appreciate an outline of what the ABC plans are for
the science sector and in particular what will be the fate of the Science Show
and the Health Report. Yours
sincerely David Denham
Copies of this letter were also sent to Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Communications, and the ABC Board. |
The Australian Geoscience Council Inc. © 1999 - 2003 |
