This document sketches a map for future computing research orientated around the scale challenge. It is structured into three major sections:

1. ‘Grand challenges’ looks at the opportunities that computing at scale will open up, and the current technical roadblocks to getting there, through the prism of several scenarios.
2. ‘Research opportunities’ outlines the areas where research is required to make computing at scale a reality, and the cross-disciplinary engagements required to tackle the grand challenges.
3. ‘Education’ looks at the shifts in education needed to train a new generation of computing professionals proficient at computing at scale, and also at the impact that computing at scale could have on education.

This computer science project was the first in the Academy's initiative to conduct science foresighting studies. These studies consider the scientific potential for specific areas of study over the next few decades. The project culminated with the production of this report in 2013.

Published by the National Committee for Physics, the Physics decadal plan 2012–2021 presents an overview of the Australian physics community’s strategic vision for 2012–2021. 

It focuses on the importance of future growth opportunities of physics education, its role in society, international engagement, and the significance of science and technology for our future.

Physics frontiers: A decade of Australian achievement

The case studies contained in this document provide an overview of the diverse, challenging, and exciting careers that a physics background can lead to. 

They are presented to inspire and encourage young people to consider how physics can pave the way for fulfilling and rewarding careers, contributing to the growth and prosperity of Australia.

Decadal plan review – Summary

In the second half of the decadal period, the committee undertook an internal review of the plan and its progress against the recommendations. It determined that the original objectives of the decadal plan have been partially achieved and continue to be relevant to the community.

The below summary has been prepared by the National Committee for Physics.

The decadal plan identified four critical issues for the future of physics in Australia:

1. Achieving a physics-literate workforce and community
2. Realising human capital in physics
3. Building on physics research and investment
4. Engaging in the international enterprise of physics

Addressing these four critical issues is imperative. Strong support for physics delivers great value for the nation.

The physics decadal plan highlighted the opportunities that physics offers to Australia. The review reiterated the environment necessary to realise these opportunities.

Achieving a physics-literate workforce and community

Other fields outside of science greatly benefit from the skills set of physics graduates, although these benefits may not be as visible to society. 

Now more than ever, community engagement and a robust physics education sector are critical for developing a physics literate workforce that can respond to growing demands in Australian-made technology and evidence-based decision-making.

Realising human capital in physics

Physics discoveries lead to novel technologies that can revolutionise existing industries. Physics is therefore a creative profession critical to the future workforce. 

A significant way to fully realise the human capital in physics is through considering equity, diversity and inclusion in all its forms in physics as whole. That implies changes into the culture at workplaces of all sorts, education of the community and changes in the way we today evaluate what a successful career in physics means and how it contributes to the society at large. 

Future human capital in physics will be realised when we can demonstrate and convince society that the studies of physics lead to fulfilling and prosperous careers and demystify the beliefs surrounding today’s physics careers.

Building on physics research and investment

Australia shares in global leadership in numerous research fields in physics. This has led to high international regard for the quality of our education and training, our research and our universities. 

The impact of our physics research internationally should be maintained and enhanced while increased investment is implemented to accelerate translation of research breakthroughs into improvements in society – through increased economic wealth, new jobs and other measures of impact.

This is something that needs to happen because of the key role that physics and physicists have played in innumerable technological advances in the world, and can play in Australia into the future with an appropriate innovation ecosystem.

There is clear evidence of engagement by the physics community in growing the high technology-based economy in Australia. It is important that the culture, investment and rewards are diversified to recognise this critical need for Australia. 

This document calls for policies and processes that will see our society achieve greater benefit from the investments it has made in physics.

Engaging in the international enterprise of physics

Science is global, and physics is no exception. The past decade has seen Australian physicists play prominent roles in large international collaborations working at the forefront of modern science. 

A key example is the discovery of gravitational waves, and confirmation of their origin, by the LIGO collaboration. Further examples of international engagement include Australian involvement in the ITER nuclear fusion project, the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider and the development of an Australian-based dark matter detection program. 

Connections have been fostered with organisations in our region, such as the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, and other key international links have been strengthened, such as that with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). 

Australia's establishment of dedicated quantum research centres has propelled advancements in quantum technologies through collaborations between academia, industry and government. This progress has positioned the country as a significant global player in quantum research, fostering practical applications in sectors like telecommunications and computing while prioritising workforce education and policy frameworks for future developments.

Opportunities for the next decade

An important aspect of a valuable physics environment is a quality education system. Support for quality teaching, from school teachers building foundations, through to university educators training future physicists, and including activities that promote appreciation of physics amongst the general public, can elevate the Australian community’s knowledge base. 

The value of having a science-literate population, and of evidence-based decision-making, have been brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 crisis; these boost our capability to also deal with other serious global issues. A broader understanding in the community of the multitude of physics-related career paths would encourage more students to engage with physics.

An environment that fully realises the human capital in physics addresses issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. Removing disadvantage that has existed for minority groups, and ensuring equitable career pathways for all, will make the most of governments, organisations and individuals investing in physics education.

We must build on investment in physics by organisations. The ubiquitous impact of physics research on other disciplines and technology means that it must be well supported in all technologically advanced societies. To build on research, we can harness the power of cross-disciplinary research and enhance partnerships between industry and academia. It would be advantageous for industry and investment sectors to be more aware of, and receptive to, the opportunities that physics can bring. We need efficient, agile, fair and sustainable research funding, and measures of success (metrics and coding of research) that are appropriate for the 21st century.

Infrastructure investment is required for Australian physics to remain at the cutting edge. Our country must invest in world-scale collaborative endeavours. Australian physics research is recognised internationally for its high quality. The global interconnectedness of physics research means that international collaborations are an integral part of Australian physics. To ensure that this continues in the future, we need to nurture and produce internationally competitive undergraduate and postgraduate students in physics. By engaging in the international enterprise of physics, we build the work force of the future, build our engineering and manufacturing capability, keep Australia at the forefront of technology, and provide role-models for our children in their STEM education.

The era of global astronomy facilities and discoveries has begun.

Australia in the era of global astronomy: the decadal plan for Australian astronomy 2016–2025 presents the strategic vision for Australian astronomy for the next decade.

The plan is based on the reports of 11 working groups, comprising over 150 astronomers, engineers and educators from over 30 Australian institutions across all states and the ACT, in a process run by the Academy's National Committee for Astronomy during 2014 and 2015.

The plan identifies five top-level infrastructure priorities and four priorities for the astronomy community.

The document follows on from the success of the committee's 2006 plan, New horizons: a decadal plan for Australian astronomy 2006–15. 

This publication was highly influential in presenting the community's vision to stakeholders outside the research sector, including key stakeholder the Australian Government and industrial and research partners nationally and internationally.

This report summarises the discussions and recommendations of a group of early- and mid-career researchers from a broad range of relevant disciplines who came together in July 2014 to consider climate challenges in relation to health in Australia. Five main impacts were considered.

1. Extreme weather events. These include heatwaves, droughts, storms, cyclones and floods. These will have direct impacts on lives, homes and communities, and will also place stress on the mental wellbeing of members of the community during prolonged events such as intense heatwaves.
2. Disease. Many diseases are likely to spread and increase in incidence as the climate warms. A growing human population with high rates of interconnectedness is also at risk from newly emergent and exotic diseases for which we have no treatment or immunity.
3. Food and water. Disrupted supplies of water and high temperatures will stress crops and promote algal blooms in reservoirs while rising ocean acidification will affect fisheries.
4. Jobs. Livelihoods – including farming, fishing and tourism – will be particularly badly affected from soaring temperatures, droughts and storms. Employment patterns will be changed and disruptions to supply chains will threaten businesses.
5. Security. Threatened food supply chains, changing patterns of infectious diseases, and forced migration from land rendered uninhabitable will trigger tension, unrest and violent conflict.

The five different groups of experts involved in writing this report made a total of 22 recommendations. 

This report presents some key features in risk assessment that should underpin any new Australian risk assessment framework. It then analyses five case studies: 

• the 2002–03 drought in south-east Australia
• the ACT–NSW bushfires of 2003
• asbestos-related mesothelioma
• the white powder scares of 2001 and subsequent years
• the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005. 

Each is considered under the standard risk assessment steps of analysis, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery, followed by an analysis of lessons learned from the case study.

The report concludes that overall Australia has performed quite well in responding to problems that have arisen in disaster situations.

New policies and practices have been introduced in many different areas, though not all problems have yet been addressed effectively.

Some areas in which additional research is needed are indicated.

The 2012 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank brought 60 early to mid-career researchers together with expertise in disciplines across economics, social sciences, ecology, biology and technology to consider how a vision for Australia’s future might be shaped by population.

Researchers worked in four groups to consider specific contexts in which population trajectories might affect different aspects of our social and natural environments. Each group considered one of the following questions:

• Who will we be?
• How will we share activities and resources?
• What will we do?
• How shall we live in our habitat?

All of the different future population scenarios examined by the groups showed that Australia will face big and challenging questions, particularly with pressures on our social and ecological systems. In finding solutions, science has a crucial role to play.

Earth observations from space (EOS) promise to transform Australia's capacity to address critical national challenges such as climate change, water availability, natural disaster mitigation, safe and secure transport, energy and resources security, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems, coasts and oceans, and national security.

This report is designed to help Australia begin its urgently needed transformation to a global EOS player and a more effective user of EOS information for national purposes. 

It reviews current EOS capability, future needs, and sets out essential elements of a national strategy and implementation schedule.

This report was prepared by a working group of 16 Academy Fellows and other space science and Earth observation experts in response to the terms of reference assigned to the working group by the Presidents of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Download the executive summary

The big challenges and opportunities for Australia in the 21st century – social, economic and environmental – are global, requiring coordination and integration across scales and disciplines.

Australian science and innovation can continue to play an influential role, but will increasingly need to be coordinated with and be cognisant of the efforts of others.

This report seeks to restart and contribute to national debate about what Australia must do to ensure that it can maintain its links with leading international science, and continue to maximise economic and social benefits for the nation from these global networks.

This report is based upon, but is not strictly representative of, the inspiration and data provided by speakers at the Academy’s series of monthly public lectures, ‘Australia’s renewable energy future’, held between 2 September 2008 and 4 August 2009. 

It outlines the state of the technological alternatives, and provides a set of development options for consideration by policymakers.

Searching the deep Earth: A vision for exploration geoscience in Australia is a call for Australian Earth scientists to cooperate in an innovative, structured and nationally coordinated strategic venture that will bring competitive advantage to Australian mineral exploration. The vision requires research groups, surveys and explorers to participate in a cross-institutional joint research venture on a scale never before attempted.

Minister for Resources and Energy, The Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP, launched the document on 8 August 2012, as part of the International Resource Ministers Forum at the 34th International Geological Congress. In his speech the Minister stated:

The Standing Council on Energy and Resources, I chair, has agreed to develop a National Exploration Strategy to assist Australia in developing greenfields exploration capabilities. This multifaceted long-term strategy is aimed at unlocking our resources through investment in a national Geoscience Research Initiative inspired by the Searching the Deep Earth publication.

Representing research, government and industry sectors, the UNCOVER Implementation Committee was convened under the aegis of the Australian Academy of Science to address the decline in Australian mineral exploration success through implementation of the 2010 Theo Murphy High Flyers Think Tank recommendations (Searching the deep Earth: The future of Australian resource discovery and utilisation).

The UNCOVER Implementation Committee met several time during 2011–2012 to identify practical steps towards addressing the Think Tank recommendations.

The UNCOVER Implementation Committee prepared an exposure draft document and undertook community consultation. Searching the deep Earth: A vision for exploration geoscience in Australia is the result of this extensive research community consultation.

UNCOVER implementation committee

• Phil McFadden (Chair), Australian Academy of Science
• Sue O’Reilly FAA, Universities
• Mitch Hooke, Mining Council of Australia
• Will Robinson, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies
• Brad John, Geological Surveys
• Jonathon Law, CSIRO
• Michael Asten, Australian Geoscience Council
• Dean Collett, Industry