TH; AALU:
PRiVE PANISTER 4 April 1978
REPORTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
Mr Speaker, for the information of Honourable members, I
present two reports of the Australian Scienkce and Technology
Council. (" ASTEC").
The first is a report on the activities of the interim ASTEC,
which was formed on 29 April 1976 and terminated on 29 March 1977.
The second, is a report by the permanent ASTEC, established by
the Government in April 1977, on energy research and development,
in Australia.
The Government is most conscious of the vital need for the future
development of Australia, to utilise the nation' s science and
technology resources efficiently and effectively. As these
valuable resources are limited, it is the Government's task to
encourage their use rationally and wisely in Australia's best
long-term interests.
To assist us in this task, ASTEC has been established as an
independent body of the highest quality and standing to advise us
on the application of Australian scientific and technological
expertise to national problems, and on any other matters relating
to science and technology which may be referred to ASTEC, or
which it chooses to examine on its own initiative.
The interim ASTEC was re-established by this Government in April 1976
with the principal task of advising on the arrangements for a
permanent Australian Science and Technology Council. It presented
its report to me in November 1976, and I tabled that Report,
and announced the formation of the permanent ASTEC, in the House
on 19 April 1977.
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The first Report I now table presents details of the other
activities of the interim ASTEC during its period of operation.
Among the more important of these activities was the advice
ASTEC offered on three matters referred to it by the Government
in August 1976. These matters were:
Whether Australia should establish facilities to receive
information from LANDSAT, the United States of America's
earth resources satellite; whether Australia should participate
in the first world-wide experiment of the global atmospheric
research programme and the extent to which the Commonwealth
should be involved in the coordination of information on
Australia's unique flora and fauna.
The Government has already taken action on the first two of
these questions, our decisions being in line with ASTEC's advice
which was of great assistance to us. The third matter is
presently being considered by the Government and I expect the
minister for Science to make an announcement on long-term
organisational arrangements for biological surveys within the
next few months.
ASTEC's advice to the Government on these three matters is
reproduced in full in the Report.
Mr Speaker, the second Report I table today is the Report by
ASTEC of October last year on Australia's energy research and
development needs, a topic which I asked the Council to examine
as a matter of high priority.
In preparing its report, the Council received submissions from
a wide range of people in the community and was assisted by a
number of other recent reports on energy research and development.
In particular, the Council derived useful information from the
Report on Solar energy by the Senate Standing Committee on
National Resources tabled in May last year, and reports by the
Institution of Engineers and the Department of Science referred
to in paragraph 1.4 of the Council's Report.
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Honourable Members may be aware that on 15 December 1977,
the Right Honourable Minister for National Resources released
a Report of the National Energy Advisory Committee on a similar
topic.
ASTEC's report confirms the assessment of the National Energy
Advisory Committee on priorities in energy research and development,
and the Committee's views that there is scope for a significant
increase in our effort on energy research and development. At
the same time, ASTEC's report recommends machinery for the
proper coordination of such increased expenditure.
I consider the ASTEC Report on energy to be a most valuable
contribution to our planning to meet Australia's future energy
demands. The Minister for National Developmenthas derived
considerable assistance from the Report in developing proposals
to implement the Government's undertakingannounced prior to the
elections last November, to expand the energy research and
development programme, and to establish a high level body to
advise on special measures to administer that programme.
Further details of these matters will be announced by the
Minister for National Development in the near future.
Finally, Mr Speaker, for the information of Honourable Members,
I should mention that the permanent ASTEC has in the past year
provided advice on a number of important matters concerned with
Government science including providing comments on various reports
submitted to the Government, and consulting with Departments on
a number of current issues concerning science and technology.
ASTEC's major activity has been the preparation of a comprehensive
review of the state of science and technology in Australia in 1977.
This Report is expected to be available by mid-year, and I am
confident that it will be a most valuable document in the development
of Australia's science and technology policy. It will provide the
basis on which ASTEC will formulate its future advice to the
Government, and will play an important part in the process of
Government decision-making on science and technology.
Mr Speaker, I announced in the House on 19 April 1977 that the
Government intended to establish ASTEC as a statutory body to give
it the status, permanence and stability required to allow it to
undertake its important role in advising the Government on
Science and technology. I shall be bringing forward legislation
in the present sitting of Parliament to achieve this objective.