Lack of Funding Will Bankrupt the Knowledge Economy

The spectre of cuts to the NH&MRC in this year's Federal Budget, which come on the heels of the Government's decision to decommission the Australia Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), does not bode well for Australia's future. “This is a ludicrous plan totally at odds with the rhetoric of Australia as a smart nation,” said Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations President, John Nowakowski.

Whether funding is used for medical research; investigating society’s needs for disaster planning, relief, and management; or understanding the mistakes of history; an effective budget to support research is paramount. Australia is already significantly behind many other OECD countries on researchers per capita, and, without funding, the “brain drain” is set to become part of the national psyche again.

“As the Gillard Government pushes for 40% participation in tertiary education by 2025, the nation’s universities need to grow, not shrink. Universities are built on a foundation or research, and up to 60% of the annual research output comes from postgraduate students” stated John Nowakowski. “If funding is cut, we lose talented academics, which not only impacts on the university sector, but negatively affects Australia’s competitiveness in a global knowledge economy.”

“We cannot hope to understand our next Cyclone Yazi; reduce national skin cancer and obesity statistics; plan our towns, cities and transportation networks; or train anyone to fulfil these roles in future without people who are actively supported and funded today. We know that national disasters hit the federal economy hard, but research can mitigate disasters of this scale in future,” continued John Nowakowski.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations is fully supportive of the national campaign, Discoveries Need Dollars, taking place on April 12 at the Victorian State Library and elsewhere around the country. “If the Gillard Government loses research today, it will cost twice as much to redevelop tomorrow, and Australia cannot sit idly by waiting,” concluded John Nowakowski