This special issue of the Academy’s Science Policy and Diplomacy newsletter provides analysis on what the Federal Government’s 2024–25 Budget means for Australian science.
The budget signals support for growth and innovation in science with the announcement of a strategic examination of Australia's science and industry research and development (R&D).
An additional $38.2 million over eight years has been made available to respond to the Pathways to Diversity in STEM report recommendations.
Ambitions to be a renewable energy superpower, investment in quantum and data capabilities, and funding to map our critical mineral supplies are among the measures announced.
$22.7 billion in funding has been allocated to the Future Made in Australia plan.
Investments in new quantum technologies, clean green technologies, renewables, and manufacturing are amongst the significant science measures announced.
The Academy welcomes the announcement of this once in a generation opportunity of a strategic examination into the R&D system at a critical time—when geopolitics are becoming more complex and there is an urgent need to build a resilient economy.
The budget makes several investments in recognition of the value that science brings to the nation, including:
The Academy has published a Science and Research Budget snapshot, providing some preliminary data analysis of the figures released on budget night.
Read on to explore specific budget measures and their impact on Australia's scientific capability.
Professor Ian Chubb
Secretary Science Policy
Australian Academy of Science
Further information can be found at the Academy’s interactive data report, which provides a snapshot of the Australian Government’s science and research expenditure estimated in the Federal Budget.
The Academy welcomes the government's commitment to a long overdue strategic examination of Australia's science and research system. For the first time in decades, Australia will undertake a cross-sectoral and cross-portfolio examination of R&D so we can best support our national ambitions.
Australia's 227 science and research funding programs are spread across 15 portfolios. A review of the science system stands to lift barriers to scientists, creating the necessary conditions for science to propel our nation forward, and deliver outcomes for our people.
A strategic examination of Australia's R&D system will clarify Australia's vision for a flourishing research system, set a trajectory to achieve it, and be vital to Australia's resilience and ability to meet Australia's national ambitions.
Earlier this month, the Academy announced it is developing a 10-year plan to ensure Australia has the necessary scientific capability and consider how science needs to evolve to advance Australian interests locally and globally. The Academy looks forward to providing this valuable input to the government’s strategic examination.
Investments in key climate initiatives include $519.1 million over eight years from the Future Drought Fund to help farmers build resilience and deal with the impacts of climate change.
Following last year’s announcement of the Nature Positive Plan, including funding of $214.1 million over four years, $40 million in new funding was announced to further the implementation of the plan over the next two years.
The Academy welcomes the investment of $290.5 million over five years from 2023–24 to continue delivering the Australian Antarctic Program and expand Australia’s international scientific activities.
This measure will include allocations for the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD)’s scientific and logistic initiatives in line with a renewed Antarctic strategy (late 2024).
This reflects the importance of Antarctic science to Australia’s scientific agenda to address both national and global research priorities in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean.
Ambition to make Australia a renewable energy superpower was a key part of the clean energy transformation presented in this budget.
So far, the Federal Government has promised a national emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030. This is designed to grow and modernise our electricity grid and capture opportunities in critical minerals, hydrogen, clean green technologies, and the budget provides industry incentives for greater energy efficiency.
The government has announced future investments of $399.1 million over five years from 2023–24 for a Net Zero Economy.
This followed the Federal Government’s recent announcement of $1 billion for a federal program to boost Australian solar manufacturing.
A further $2 billion was announced for the Hydrogen Headstart program to accelerate the green hydrogen industry.
Geoscience Australia will receive $566.1 million over 10 years from 2024–25 and $111.8 million per year on average from 2034–35 to 2058–59 for the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity program, which replaces and extends Exploring for the Future.
This will enable Geoscience Australia to map the whole of onshore Australia by 2060 and go some way toward continuing to implement the Academy’s UNCOVER vision.
However, as the National Committee for Earth Sciences chair Emeritus Professor Ian Jackson outlined last week, this investment must be supported by future initiatives to build a stronger and more diverse workforce.
As part of the Landsat Next investment, Geoscience Australia will deliver an upgraded Alice Springs satellite ground station and deliver new data processing, data analytics and science capabilities.
This year's budget includes investments in quantum computing and technology. The joint investment of $940 million by the Federal and Queensland Governments in quantum computing represents a key shift in focus towards quantum computing.
A new national centre called Quantum Australia has also received $18.4 million in funding to become a ‘single front door’ for Australia’s quantum industry.
More work remains on delivering substantive budget allocations to develop a complementary national strategy for high-performance computing, which is required to underpin our quantum capabilities.
An investment of $21.6 million has been made to establish a reshaped National AI Centre. This investment is not significant enough to alter Australia’s trajectory in AI research.
The budget saw a $95 million reallocation to support Australia’s contribution to the SKA telescope facilities in Murchinson, Western Australia.
The budget also allocates $448.7 million over 11 years from 2023–24 to establish Australia’s partnership with the United States on the next generation of the Landsat satellite earth observation program (Landsat Next).
The Health Research for a Future Made in Australia package has a total investment of $1.89 billion. Funding has been reallocated from existing health programs, mostly the Medical Research Future Fund.
The 2024–25 Federal Budget begins implementation of the University Accord recommendations with a $1.1 billion investment—largely in equity and access measures.
The government has also announced the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, responsible for tertiary education system stewardship, delivery of funding arrangements for higher education, ongoing tertiary harmonisation, and data collection and reporting.
Other funded initiatives include:
The budget includes overdue measures to relieve Higher Education Contribution Scheme and Higher Education Loan Program (HECS/HELP) debt. Three billion has been allocated to forgive last year’s 7.1% indexation.
The government has also announced plans to manage the growth of international undergraduate student numbers. They are developing an International Education and Skills Strategic Framework to deliver sustainable growth in international education over time and drive quality and integrity within the sector. Importantly, postgraduate research student enrolments will not fall under this system.
However, no new funding was announced for university research-focused recommendations of the University Accord, other than the strategic examination of the R&D system.
The Federal Budget commits the government to spending $165.7 million on growing defence capabilities and private investment opportunities. The Defence Industry Development Grants Program will support industry and businesses to help deliver on AUKUS pillars one and two and the Sovereign Defence Grants Program.
Among the measures are plans to invest $330 billion over the next 10 years under the National Defence Strategy, and $101.8 million over seven years from 2024–25 to attract and retain the Australian industrial workforce required to support the delivery of Australia’s conventionally‑armed nuclear‑powered submarines.
In February 2024, the Australian Government announced it would double its combat-ready naval fleet, increasing Defence spending over the next 10 years by $11.1 billion. This will put Defence spending on track to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2033–34.
The Science Policy and Diplomacy Newsletter is a joint initiative between the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committees for Science and Science Policy teams.
The National Committees for Science consists of 18 discipline-specific committees from the biophysical and physical sciences. The committees are the custodians of their disciplines and bring leading discipline trends and key policy-related areas to advise the Academy and science community on critical international and national matters.
For further information or queries about the budget that relate to the specific disciplines of the National Committees for Science, please contact nc@science.org.au
For queries pertaining to the Academy’s science policy and analysis, please contact science.policy@science.org.au
The Academy’s budget media release.
The Academy’s pre-budget submission.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
