Australian Academy of Science President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE

Fellows, colleagues, honoured guests—good afternoon.

Congratulations and a warm welcome to our newly admitted Fellows.

Our Fellows are the brains trust of our nation.

You are among the nation’s most distinguished scientists.

Since the Academy was established 70 years ago, 982 Fellows have been elected to it.

Our Fellowship currently stands strong at 614.

Aside from the scientific work you do, our Fellows contribute their expertise to the Academy, so science can be heard.

And so, your knowledge can inform the actions of our decision makers, whether they be in our parliaments, boardrooms, courtrooms, in our classrooms and in our homes.

The 19 years since I was elected to the Academy have flown by.

But I still vividly recall the deep satisfaction at being recognised by my peers for my contributions to science.

I imagine you feel the same today.

I was one of 15 Fellows elected in 2005.

Among them was microbiologist Professor Ruth Hall. She was the only woman elected that year. 

How times have changed.

For the better.

Election to the Academy remains a fair and rigorous process.

Today, we have better ways to ensure we remove barriers to election experienced by under-represented groups.

We continually review these processes—whether they apply to the election of Fellows or to awardees—so that we can assess the diverse contributions of candidates.

We know that diversity is more than gender diversity and there is still much work to be done, especially around recognising achievement across our Indigenous scholars. I will come back to this later.

Since our inception, we have had a steadfast commitment to building a Fellowship that reflects the contemporary balance of disciplines and the breadth of the scientific community.

This commitment is reflected in the Academy’s new strategic plan, which I will also talk more about later.

As a national academy we have a responsibility to model, promote and influence best practice in the conduct of science.

Not just within our Fellowship, but across the science sector in Australia.

It is our collective role to set standards for science and to pursue scientific excellence in all that we do.

In listening to Fellows’ presentations, you have already had a taste of the extraordinary scientific talent we have in our nation.

I spend much of my time looking at nanostructures and observing the world at a different scale. 

So, the opportunity to sit in this grand hall and hear about the wonders of our universe, how viruses multiply, novel ways to create clean energy, and the complexity and importance of the soil beneath our feet, is truly mind blowing.

On Thursday we will hear from our awardees including emerging scientific leaders. I have no doubt I will be inspired again and reminded of why it is critically important for all of us to work to remove career barriers that might prevent the world benefiting from their creativity and discoveries.

Science at the Shine Dome is one, if not the only, conference in Australia, where you can listen to Australia’s most distinguished scientists share their expertise across every discipline.

Scientists of all ages and backgrounds—people passionate about shifting the frontiers of knowledge—come together to share, network, collaborate and to inspire each other.

Another reason I love Science at the Shine Dome is this place and all it stands for.

The Shine Dome is the home of Australian science.

A big, bold concept.

At its opening, it was described as “unconventional and futuristic”.

It still is.

To this day, the Shine Dome remains an architecturally significant building, made greater by its occupants.

Following the Shine Dome’s refurbishment in 2001, then-Prime Minister John Howard said of the building:

“…. all of you will see it as a fitting physical reminder of the centrality of science and all that goes with it in the national life of our country.”

It is a fitting reminder of the importance of science.

It has inspired many.

It continues to inspire me and many others.

More recently, newly elected Fellow Professor Arthur Georges nicely captured the inspiration that the Shine Dome evokes for many of us. He said:

"My father realised that I had an interest in science. He was a politician, and he brought me to Canberra often and one year, he took me across to show me the Shine Dome.

“He explained that it was the centre of academic life for scientists. As is anyone who sees it for the first time, I was really impressed. But back then in 1968, it was really out of the ordinary. That memory stayed with me forever.”

May more politicians bring their children here.

And I invite you to do the same.

As the Academy celebrates its 70^th anniversary, the majestic Shine Dome celebrates its 65^th.

Discussions to establish an Academy began in 1951 at a meeting in Canberra to talk about the future of science and technology in Australia.

Sir Mark Oliphant said, when seeking to convince others of the possibility of an Australian academy:

“If science for its own sake was to have coherence, there must be a means whereby that coherence could be expressed.”

Because of the great talent and growing capability of Australian scientists, Oliphant was inspired to establish a new scientific identity closer to home.

And so, he did.

Oliphant became the Academy’s first President.

It truly is a privilege to be serving you as the Academy’s 20^th President, building on the work of those who have come before me.

The 1950s were a time of post-war reconstruction when HC Coombs—a public servant and first Governor of the Reserve Bank—spoke about the social reconstruction.

It was a time when Australia built structures that recognised the value of evidence and institutions necessary for a stable democracy.

Coombs spoke about the need to bring to bear the full power of the research and technology sector to meet our national ambitions. 

The need for the research sector to step up to the national challenge.

From this era were born institutions like the Australian Academy of Science and the ANU where I spent most of my academic life.

Not just established, but uniquely positioned to bring science to the service of the nation. 

Our 70 years since illustrate an enviable record of achievement in shaping Australian science, its system and its people.

In our current geopolitical climate, amidst the pandemic, and to steer our way through climate change, I put to you that the need for the research sector to step up to the national challenge is as great as ever.

It is this changing environment, and the role science can and must play that has informed our strategic plan.

The Strategic Plan identifies three priorities:

1. scientific leadership
2. mobilising and transforming the Academy
3. sustained strategic engagement.

In terms of scientific leadership, the Academy can and must continue to play a leading role in shaping the Australian scientific landscape.

Just as it was our scientific leadership that led to the establishment of national parks in Australia, the establishment of national astronomy infrastructure that sees Australia positioned today as a world leader in this discipline, and the founder of SAGE Science in Australia Gender Equity, it is our scientific leadership that means today we lead scientific cooperation efforts across the Asia-Pacific region via the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC RFP-AP).

Consider for a moment the value of this mechanism to enable science diplomacy in amingst the geopolitical turmoil of our region and our time.

In this leadership role we have been able to make a significant contribution to the historic establishment of a Pacific Academy of Sciences.

An academy designed to bring together the region’s expertise and empower local scholars to be part of solutions in their region and unite as a voice for science.

An academy designed to move away from a model that sees their region as a net importer of knowledge—rather, drawing on the unique knowledge of its own people to provide the Pacific with agency and a voice in shaping its destiny.

It will be launched next month in Samoa as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

And I am so proud of the Australian Academy of Science’s role in assisting its establishment.

Early this year, it was the Academy’s scientific leadership and sustained advocacy that secured protections for international research collaborations that are critical for our national interest.

Australia’s Defence Export Controls framework has undergone significant change to enable license-free movement of goods, technology and services both within Australia and between AUKUS partners—that is, the UK and the US. 

When first proposed, the framework and legislative changes did not adequately balance security risks with open collaboration and created an overly restrictive regime for research collaborations between countries outside of the AUKUS agreement.

The Academy strongly advocated for and achieved legislative amendments that provide protections for the license-free exchange of fundamental research between nations. 

In addition, the definition of fundamental research is now enshrined in legislation, providing protections from possible future political maneuvers to change the definition without parliamentary scrutiny. 

Frankly, the Academy held strong when others in the sector were willing to accept changes that would have placed at risk Australia’s ability to engage knowledge vital to discovery research.

These hard-fought amendments strike a better balance between protecting Australia’s national security while ensuring collaboration can continue to serve our national interest.  

At the heart of the second strategic priority—mobilising and transforming the Academy—is you, our Fellows.

Together we have reviewed the National Committees, so they are poised for action, able to respond to the changing needs of disciplines.

Together we have re-designed our governance structures, aligned our resources and positioned ourselves to have the greatest possible impact. Together, we have recognised the need to significantly lift our engagement with Fellows, Ministers, early- and mid-career researchers, industry leaders, teachers, students and the broader community. 

Together we are building a membership of the Academy that reflects the breadth of the modern scientific enterprise.

You might ask, why are National Committees, governance, engagement and disciplinary breadth important?

Because developing scientific advice and advocating for science to the highest offices of the land demands excellence in our fellowship, operations, systems and structures.

Because our ability to mobilise the unique assets of the Academy—the heart of which is you, our Fellowship—is critical to bring science to the service of the nation.

Because our ability to influence the journey of students studying science and maths and the teachers guiding them requires discipline and leadership.

Because our ability to empower the next generation of researchers and remove barriers that hold them back is vital for our future.

And because we must always ensure our independence remains uncompromised.

This relies on a growing investment corpus sufficient to sustain the Academy’s activities. 

We are ambitious for this nation.

We are ambitious for science.

We recognise that we need to operate at a greater scale. 

And that is why we are redoubling our efforts to attract philanthropic support to grow our corpus and enable us to bring science to the service of the nation at the scale the current times demand.

We can. We must. And we will.

Our Strategic Plan also identifies a key challenge, namely: to deliver sought-after scientific advice that influences Australians’ actions and contributes to global science.

That advice is drawn from your expertise.

It is valuable because the Academy is non-partisan.

It is valuable because we do not carry vested interests.

It is valuable because we are not beholden to any single institution.

And it is valuable because we have no skin in the game—except a better Australia.

Our only interest is ensuring expert evidence is shaping the decisions and actions of our people so the nation advances and everyone benefits.

It’s a bold and challenging mission.

Over the last few years, we have provided sought-after independent scientific advice in areas as diverse as:

• artificial Intelligence
• Great Barrier Reef sustainability
• the management of long COVID
• national security matters
• national environmental law
• criminal justice outcomes
• technological transfer
• STEM skill development
• research infrastructure policy.

But there are many pressing issues that require scientific advice.

We have successfully argued the case for a wholesale review of Australia’s outdated R&D system.

The strategic examination of Australia’s R&D system was announced in the May Budget.

This review is the first step to align national efforts across the whole of government, industry, universities and philanthropy to create an environment where investment in R&D is coherent, strategic and scaled.

To inform this government review, the Academy is developing a 10-year plan to demonstrate how science needs to evolve to achieve our national ambitions.

The plan, titled ‘Australian Science, Australia’s Future: Science 2035’, being led by Science Policy Secretary Ian Chubb, is assessing the capability of Australia’s science system, its ability to compete and collaborate globally, and its contribution to the nation’s economy, security, health and quality of life.

The Academy is convening experts from within our Fellowship and across the research and innovation sector to inform this initiative.

This 10-year plan will be published next year.

Just outside in the Jaeger room you will find a booth where you can learn more about our work and contribute to it.

Fellows, we do a lot, but there is more to be done to bring science to the service of the nation at the scale the current times demand.

Our new strategic direction and the changes we are undertaking are designed to position us and ready us to—in the words of HC Coombs—bring to bear the full power of the research and technology to meet our national ambitions. 

We must. We can. We will.

You have heard our mission and our strategic objectives, and I am hoping that many in the audience are asking themselves, how can I contribute.

Every part of the Academy benefits and our impact is greatest when we work closely with you.

There are many ways in which you can contribute—some more time consuming, others less so.

You can contribute:

• by providing your expertise to influence policy and Academy activities
• by serving on one of the 19 National Committees for Science, which steer and shape scientific disciplines
• by nominating outstanding individuals for Fellowship, for Council membership, and for awards
• by joining the Academy’s Council, the highest decision-making body of the organisation
• by attending the AGM and having your say
• by being active in Fellows’ activities in your state or territory
• by actively engaging with and providing mentorship to early and mid- career researchers: they are our future. This year we have over 100 early- and mid- career researchers here. Take some time to say hello to them
• by representing Australia internationally at global gatherings or on the governing committees of global bodies such as the international scientific unions
• by proposing ideas for and reviewing our science communication content
• by supporting our education programs.

This list is by no means exhaustive. 

Executive Committee members oversee the Academy on your behalf and each carry portfolio responsibilities linked to the functions of the Academy.

Let me put some faces to names. It is important that you know who Council members are and who you can turn to at any moment to ask questions or have input.    

Please welcome to the stage:

• Professor Ivan Marusic, the Secretary for Physical Sciences
• Professor Bob Graham, the Secretary for Biological Sciences

Ivan and Bob also serve as Vice-Presidents of the Academy.

• Professor Marilyn Anderson is the Treasurer and unfortunately is unable to be with us today
• Professor Frances Separovic, the Foreign Secretary
• Professor Ian Chubb, the Secretary for Science Policy
• Professor Lyn Beazley, the Secretary for Education
• Professor Jim Williams is the Spokesperson for Integrity
• And we will soon be appointing a Spokesperson for Engagement

These individuals work closely with and oversee the work of the Secretariat to guide all of the Academy's activities. We also have some of our Council members with us. 

I’d also like to acknowledge the Academy Fellows who serve as Regional Chairs and Co-Chairs, some of whom I’ve visited recently on my tour around Australia.

Regional chairs play an important role in bringing together Fellows at a state and territory level and facilitating engagement with the broader Academy.

Could you please join me in thanking them for their contributions. 

Fellows, I conclude this part of my President’s address by reminding you this is your Academy.

The more we work together, the greater our impact will be.

Ian Potter House across the car park is available for your use at any time, even when you are in Canberra on non-Academy business.

It includes office and meeting facilities, a Fellows’ lounge, a place to connect or simply rest a bag.

The Academy’s staff are always available to assist.

Colleagues, thank you for your time and attention today and I look forward to more conversations with you during the rest of Science at the Shine Dome.

Reconciliation

I’d now like to move to the launch of the Academy’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

As a champion of our Reconciliation Action Plan, I know that the Academy’s contribution to reconciliation will be most widely felt when we strengthen the participation of our Fellowship in our journey.

That’s why I chose this occasion to launch the Academy’s Innovate RAP—to be amongst you, our Fellows, and to share with you our learnings and to engage you in our next steps.

The Innovate RAP is a significant milestone for the Academy, coming after the successful completion of commitments in our Reflect RAP. 

The Innovate RAP reflects the work, deliberations, thinking and reflections of the RAP Working Group over the last 18 months. 

I thank them for their commitment and for challenging our thinking.

I particularly thank our Indigenous advisers Dr Katrina Wruck and Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge.

And Academy Fellows Professors Professors John Patrick, Halina Rubenstein-Dunlop and Trevor Lithgow. As well as Academy staff who participate in the RAP working group.

To launch the Academy’s Innovate RAP, it is my pleasure to welcome to the podium Professor John Patrick, Fellow of the Academy. 

John has been a tremendous guide for me, sharing with honesty his engagement with Traditional Owners, and speaking about how his research has been enriched by Indigenous engagement.

John will share a few words then engage in a discussion with Indigenous early- and mid-career researchers from the RAP Working Group and from the Academy’s EMCR Forum.

Before I hand over to John, could you please join me in thanking Anna-Maria Arabia, Melissa Abberton and the Academy secretariat team for putting together a great Science at the Shine Dome.

• More about Science at the Shine Dome 2024
• Watch the livestreams
• Visit the event website
• Follow the action on X (formerly Twitter): #ShineDome24 and Academy. 

Five Academy Fellows have been acknowledged for excellence in research, innovation and leadership at the 2024 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes award night held on 4 September in Sydney.

Professor Gordon Smyth

Professor Gordon Smyth was awarded the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software for the development of the world’s most downloaded software package of its type – Limma – which has been used to make biomedical discoveries published in more than 70,000 scientific papers.

Limma helps identify and interpret changes in DNA material, significantly improving the confidence in statistical information used in biomedical research. Professor Smyth is a leading statistician and bioinformatician and was elected to the Academy in 2021.

Professor Surinder Singh

The Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research was awarded to the Sustainable Omega-3 Oil Team from CSIRO and Nuseed, including Professor Surinder Singh.

The team was recognised for their innovative production and commercialisation of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids from canola crops, which could save the need for unsustainable harvests of wild-caught fish and double the world’s supply of omega-3.

Professor Kate Jolliffe

Professor Kate Jolliffe was recognised for her exemplary research and leadership with the prize for Outstanding Mentor of Researchers.

Professor Jolliffe has made world-leading contributions to the fields of supramolecular and organic chemistry, in addition to supporting the foundation of the international ‘Women in Supramolecular Chemistry’ network. Her committed mentorship has resulted in more than 150 researchers appointed to senior academic and industry roles.

Congratulations to Academy Fellow Professor @kate_jolliffe who has been awarded the @UTSresearch Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Researchers. @Sydney_Uni @Sydney_Science #EurekaPrizes https://t.co/jcupD5KpT8 pic.twitter.com/BYIIS9NKUw

— Australian Academy of Science (@Science_Academy) September 4, 2024

Professor David Keith

Conservation scientist Professor David Keith’s significant contributions to his field saw him awarded the Eureka Prize for Excellence in Botanical Science.

Professor Keith led the development of biodiversity risk assessment ‘Red List’ methods and a global ecosystem typology which were adopted as global standards by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

Professor Calum Drummond

The prize for Leadership in Science was awarded to 2024 Fellow Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond for his commitment to research and innovation ecosystem reform.

His research has advanced our understanding of key factors governing molecular assembly and particle and surface interactions in liquids, and has enabled the development and application of advanced high-performance materials.

Professor Drummond will be officially inducted into the Academy of Science Fellowship at this year’s Science at the Shine Dome, held in Canberra from 9 to 12 September. 

The Academy congratulates all recipients and nominees of the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the release of the Australian Government’s proposals paper for introducing mandatory guardrails for AI in high-risk settings, and a voluntary AI safety standard.

The documents are an important next step in the Australian Government’s Safe and responsible AI in Australia consultation and are consistent with our international commitments through the Bletchley and Seoul declarations.

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish said AI is transforming science and our society, which is why the Academy has advocated for a national strategy and guidelines for the responsible use of AI.

“Regulation of AI should not limit innovation but rather create a safe and ethical framework for science and society to prosper,” Professor Jagadish said.

“A solid regulatory framework is essential to ensure Australia is prepared for the transformation AI is bringing, and this can be provided through the urgent introduction of the proposed mandatory guardrails.

“The proposals, including to introduce an Australian AI Act, is a major step in the right direction to develop laws and regulations that appropriately address the opportunities, challenges and risks of AI.

“It is important that any regulatory environment is adaptable and can anticipate the adoption of AI and guide its safe and responsible use, and that progress to introduce mandatory guardrails is made swiftly.

“Time is of the essence. Australia needs to progress the development of anticipatory regulation in AI and other areas of emerging science.”

The Academy will publish a full response to the consultation on proposed guardrails in the coming weeks.

“We will continue to convene expertise to assist the Australian Government in guiding the responsible adoption of AI for the benefit of all Australians,” Professor Jagadish said. 

The Academy is optimistic that Australia can lead in AI and related sciences if the Australian Government:

• develops a national strategy for the uptake of AI in the science sector, including scaling up investment in fundamental AI science
• ensures that Australia’s AI capability doesn’t rely on other nations by uplifting our sovereign high-performance computing facilities
• implements the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science (since AI is trained on available data, keeping scientific data and peer-reviewed publications behind paywalls impacts the ability of these systems to leverage the most reliable information).

Read the Academy’s submission to the consultation process and our statement on the government’s interim response.

Chancellor of the University of Canberra Lisa Paul AO PSM has been recognised by the Australian Academy of Science today for advancing the cause of research and higher education in Australia.

She joins distinguished Academy Medal recipients including former Prime Minister of Australia the Hon Bob Hawke (1990), Dr Norman Swan (2004), Professor Mike Gore (2006), Professor Megan Clarke (2019) and Kim Carr (2022).

The Academy Medal is awarded to a person outside the Academy’s Fellowship who has, by sustained efforts in the public domain, significantly advanced the cause of science and technology in Australia or who has made a substantial contribution to the Academy by means other than research.

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC said Ms Paul’s commitment and contribution to advancing policy in higher education, science, research and innovation stood out across her many years of service.

“She has also made a significant and sustained contribution to the governance of the Academy as Chair of our Audit Committee for the past six years,” Professor Jagadish said.

“Ms Paul’s personal values of equity and access for all align with the Academy as we continue our work to improve pathways for equity and diversity in STEM.”

Ms Paul said she was honoured to receive the award.

“It is a huge honour to be acknowledged in this way by the Academy, and to be part of such a prestigious cohort of previous Medal recipients,” Ms Paul said.

“It has been a great privilege to serve the Academy. The Academy’s Fellows have each made an outstanding contribution to our nation. We should all be proud of the impact their research has made.

“The Academy is called upon often by governments and others for its impartial advice on science, for example on climate or bushfire recovery. The Academy is a huge asset for Australians.”

Throughout her career, Ms Paul said she has championed the importance of bridging the worlds of research and policymaking. 

“It has been an honour to do this both through my support of the Academy and as Chancellor of the University of Canberra,” she said.

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the release of the Australian Government’s National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy.

National digital research infrastructure (NDRI) is essential for Australia’s research infrastructure ecosystem to be more equitable, accessible and connected.

The strategy recognises the importance of research software as an essential part of the NDRI system.

The Academy welcomes the recognition in the strategy of the role of NDRI to support maintenance and availability of software for research users, and the need for investment in activities and infrastructure for research software development.

The Academy supports the ongoing focus on the FAIR and CARE principles for Indigenous data being included in the future NDRI ecosystem.

Addressing how research funding settings and policies may need to change to cover the costs of compliance by researchers with the FAIR and CARE principles must be a priority as the strategy is implemented. 

The strategy highlights the intrinsic value of data in the research ecosystem and identifies the need for a sector-wide data management framework. It also provides an opportunity to embed the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation in full rather than being noted as guidance.

Additional work must be undertaken to articulate a long-term strategy for high-performance computing, which is lacking.

Australia’s current research supercomputers are a powerful asset, but their lifecycle is limited.

The nation must plan now for the next generation of high-performance computing and data infrastructure for research, including exascale capability.  Australia needs a national strategy that responds to the escalating needs of research to enable science to meet national priorities and keep pace with global advancements.

Overall, the strategy outlines a strong vision for NDRI in Australia. However, further detail is needed as to how the vision will be realised.

The Academy is committed to contributing science advice to inform the implementation of the NDRI strategy and development of the NDRI investment plan, to strengthen Australia’s scientific capability.

The Academy extends our thanks to the National Research Infrastructure Advisory Group, including Academy Fellows Professor Calum Drummond AO FAA FTSE and Dr Cathy Foley AO FAA FTSE, for their work in delivering this strategy.

Read the Academy submission to the draft National Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Read the Academy document: Future computing needs of the science sector.

The latest edition of the Academy’s journal, Historical Records of Australian Science, is devoted to the history of plant pathology in Australia. Despite the challenges of academic isolation and lack of communication, early plant pathologists flourished and made many world-first discoveries that assisted Australian farmers to overcome challenges in crop growth.

This special issue, published in cooperation with the Australasian Plant Pathology Society, pays specific attention to describing some of the major plant diseases that affected agriculture during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

According to Associate Professor Andrew Geering of the University of Queensland, the guest editor of this issue, Australia is one of the most food secure nations in the world with farmers producing enough to feed three times the country’s population.

However, farmers have had to overcome many challenges to grow their crops, including extreme weather variability, shallow and infertile soils, and attacks by pests and pathogens. Early attempts to transplant European farming practices into Australia often failed, and extensive scientific research was required to achieve the current level of success.

Boom-and-bust environment

Little is known about the impact of plant pathogens on Indigenous food systems prior to colonisation and whether there was active intervention by Indigenous Peoples to prevent or treat plant diseases other than by fire management. However, it’s likely that the impacts of plant diseases would have been much less severe than now, as the Indigenous Peoples had learnt to cope with the boom-and-bust nature of the Australian environment.

Indigenous family units were not anchored to a single plot of land, and local declines of a plant species due to disease would not have posed the same threat to food security because of the mobility of these peoples. Indigenous communities also utilised a much more genetically diverse food base, both at the individual plant species and plant community levels.

One of the major causes of plant disease epidemics in modern cropping systems is the planting of large areas of genetically uniform plant varieties that are a susceptible to one or more plant pathogens. It did not take long after the British colonisation of Australia for plant diseases to make an impact, with crop failure from stem rust and smut disease of wheat occurring in the convict settlement of Sydney in the first few years of the 1800s. Wheat was the staple starch crop, and the arrival of these two diseases would have been hardest felt by the very poorest in society, who lived mainly on bread and cheese, supplemented by butter and meat if they could afford them.

The first plant pathologist

Continuing epidemics of wheat stem rust throughout the 19th century prompted the appointment of the first plant pathologist in Australia, Daniel McAlpine, who in May 1890, was made Consulting Vegetable Pathologist to the Department of Agriculture in Victoria (the term ‘Vegetable’ was used in the traditional sense, to refer to all edible plant matter). It is thought that this was the very first full-time appointment of its kind in the British empire. The Government of New South Wales was quick to follow, appointing Nathan Cobb as its plant pathologist. The other colonies (later states) took longer to act, and McAlpine and Cobb served the plant pathology needs of much of Australia for at least a decade.

There was no scientific specialisation among the early plant pathologists—they were equally adept at researching plant pathogenic bacteria as fungi, swapping between the subject areas with ease. Joseph Bancroft was a medical surgeon when he discovered Fusarium wilt of banana, and even joined the royal commission to investigate the rabbit problem!

Pathologists had to work in isolation, not aware of what was happening in the neighbouring jurisdictions, let alone overseas. The discoveries they made are even more remarkable because of this fact. In addition, there was slow recognition of the discoveries made in Australia within the scientific powerhouse nations of North America and Europe. Rupert Best deserved to be a joint Nobel Prize winner with Wendell Stanley for the physico-chemical characterisation of tobacco mosaic virus. However, as lamented by Best himself, the chances of an Australian scientist based in Australia winning a Nobel Prize prior to World War II were virtually nil.

Prejudice and rivalry

Along with successes, the early plant pathologists and the organisational structures within which they worked had many flaws, including a gender bias towards men. Dr Gretna Weste AM, one of the pioneering female plant pathologists of Australia, suffered much prejudice and misogyny. Racial prejudice was also widespread in the 19th and early 20th centuries, some of it officially sanctioned by the Australian Government through the ‘White Australia policy’. Australians of Chinese and South Pacific Islander heritage were victims of this racial prejudice in the banana and sugarcane industries, respectively. Finally, many of the early male plant pathologists were very egotistical, and interstate rivalry was rife even a few decades after the federation of Australia. There was much unnecessary bickering that impeded the progress of research, and the contributions of farmers to solving plant disease problems were also ignored or not properly recognised by the scientists.

This content above is adapted from the Guest editor’s page: the path to food security in Australia through better plant disease management by Associate Professor Geering, who is President of the Australasian Plant Pathology Society and Vice President-elect of the International Society for Plant Pathology. The full article contains references. The response by authors in this topic was so great that the next issue of Historical Records of Australian Science, due in January 2025, will contain more fascinating research on the history of plant pathology in Australia.

All 16 articles in this special issue are open access.

New editor sought for our journal

The Academy is currently seeking expressions of interest for the contract position of Co-Editor for Historical Records of Australian Science. Find more information on our website. Expressions of interest close Friday 20 September 2024.

The release of the National Science Statement and the National Science and Research Priorities that support it signal an important first step to focus and scale Australia’s science and research activity, which is needed to meet our national and global challenges.   

The Academy applauds the Australian Government on having the discipline to identify science and research priorities. However, they will be ineffective without an implementation plan to drive action across government portfolios, industry and the research sector.

Previous science and research priorities were ineffective because they lacked implementation, monitoring and evaluation and therefore did little to focus and scale up science and research in the identified areas.

President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Chennupati Jagadish said both documents clearly illustrate the critical underpinning role science and research play to our economy, wellbeing, job creation and national security and to the success of the Future Made in Australia policy. 

“It’s imperative that the priorities are backed by a robust implementation plan that clarifies how ministers across governments, and the industry and research sectors can use the levers available to them to turn words into action.

“If the government is serious about implementing its core industrial policy—Future Made in Australia—it will be serious about implementing the National Science and Research Priorities.

“When supported with investment, the National Science and Research Priorities can drive scientific and technological progress at the scale we need to meet our national and global challenges.

“Australia needs urgently to transition its economy to make it more complex and resilient to external shocks. 

“This requires us to prioritise those activities only Australia can perform and those that we must perform to have a seat at the global decision-making table.”

The Academy thanks Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE for consulting widely and leading the national conversation on behalf of the government to inform this work.

Emeritus Professor Kaye Stacey has been awarded the 2024 Emma Castelnuovo Award in recognition of her more than 40 years of research-based design, development and implementation of innovative, influential work in the practice of mathematics education.

The Emma Castelnuovo award is a prestigious international award in the mathematics education research community. Professor Stacey received the award at the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education held in July in Sydney, where 3,000 mathematics educators explored current global trends in mathematics education research and mathematics teaching practices at all levels.

The Academy congratulates Professor Stacey for the recognition she has received.

A long-standing relationship with the Academy

Professor Stacey was a director of the Academy’s reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry project for its initial three years, with her work with the Academy being a significant contributing factor to her being awarded the prize. Professor Stacey has a long-standing relationship with the Academy and was instrumental in the Academy obtaining the reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry project. She authored a paper as to why the Academy should work in mathematics education and what the focus of this work should be.

Over her 40-year career, Professor Stacey has significantly impacted mathematics education through her innovative work on problem-solving, integrating new technologies, and researching student thinking. Her efforts have influenced assessments globally, benefiting many teachers and students.

Professor Stacey began her career in pure mathematics and earned a scholarship to the University of Oxford, where she completed her doctorate in number theory. Her deep passion for mathematics and its practical applications has driven her work, focusing on equipping students to tackle important problems. She enjoys mathematics for both its beauty and usefulness, and this appreciation underpins her work.

She believes the core goal of mathematics is solving significant problems, and the goal of mathematical education is to prepare students for this challenge. Like Emma Castelnuovo, she has dedicated her efforts to making this vision a reality for more teachers and students. This vision is encapsulated in her International Society for Design and Development in Education Prize Lecture titled ‘How to create a mathematics curriculum truly worth learning’.

Professor Stacey was the Foundation Chair of Mathematics Education at the University of Melbourne for 20 years until her retirement in 2012, and has led numerous research-based projects at various levels.

About the award

According to the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI), the Emma Castelnuovo Award recognises outstanding achievements in the practice of mathematics education. The award reflects the ICMI principles of developing mathematical education at all levels, and promoting the reflection, collaboration, exchange and dissemination of ideas on the teaching and learning of mathematics, from primary to university level. The award is named after the Italian mathematics educator, born in 1913, to celebrate her 100th birthday and honour her pioneering work.

Australia is famous worldwide for its natural attractions—and for good reason. With more than 700 national parks covering deserts to rainforests and much more, many of our extraordinary environments and their biodiversity are studied and protected.

But it wasn’t always this way.

Prior to 1950, most of our national parks were selected based on scenic grandeur rather than scientific or conservation significance.

They were managed by the states with no national coordination, and there had been no country-wide research into what ecosystems were represented in protected parks and reservations.

Since its formation in 1954, the Australian Academy of Science has played a crucial role in turning that around, prioritising conservation and greatly influencing the evolution of national parks as we know them today.

It established a Committee for National Parks in 1958 to investigate how existing parks were managed, what other areas of Australia should receive conservation protection, and what measures should be taken to ensure these areas were scientifically managed.

The Academy found that much of the research needed did not exist and could only be created if subcommittees in each state undertook the work locally. Over the next decade, subcommittees were formed and produced impressive documentation of Australia’s national parks, ecosystems and biological diversity.

In the committee’s final report, published in 1968, the Academy assessed the effectiveness of Australia’s conservation areas and defined three regions requiring urgent attention: the eastern coastline, the arid zone and the Great Barrier Reef.

Specific features of the Australian landscape, such as drought, floods and fire, received special mention in the report. It also outlined legislative features of a national park system that should be incorporated into federal parliamentary Acts: defining the aims of conservation areas, establishing a body dedicated to their care and ensuring that any alienation of national park land would require an Act of Parliament.

The majority of the Academy’s recommendations in the 1968 report have been implemented.

Specialist Academy committees for national parks, flora and fauna, and conservation have continued to advise on proposals for UNESCO World Heritage listings, the extension of the national park system, and the case for scientific research in protected areas.

National parks in Australia provide critical protection for landscapes and biodiversity, and unique opportunities for research.

They also give people the opportunity to explore and enjoy the natural environment and gain an understanding of the management of healthy land and connection to Country through the knowledge of First Nations peoples.

The Academy’s work not only established the foundations for ecology as a scientific basis for conservation principles in national parks, but it also foreshadowed the current idea that management of healthy country requires acknowledgement of scientific principles.

The Academy continues to provide scientific perspectives to the community and senior decision makers regarding the relationship between natural resource management and land health.

More recently, the Academy has advised on and advocated for the protection of ecosystems across Australia based on scientific evidence, including decisions on managing feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park, advice on Australia’s threatened species and faunal extinction crisis, and expertise on the necessary management interventions and future health of the Great Barrier Reef.

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Communicating the value and benefits of science to decision makers and the wider community is one of the Academy’s commitments.

Individual Fellows of the Academy have a history of doing so, including using science to inform the justice system.

Academy Fellows Sir Gus Nossal and Professor Ian Frazer were among 30 scientists who signed an open letter questioning the evidence used to convict Lindy and Michael Chamberlain.

The Northern Territory Government subsequently established a royal commission which overturned the Chamberlains’ convictions.

Almost 35 years later, the reception, quality and evaluation of scientific evidence in Australian courts was the focus of an Academy joint symposium with the Australian Academy of Law, an initiative started by the academies in 2018.

Academy Fellows presenting at the event included Professor David Balding, whose DNA analysis profiling helped convict one of Scotland’s most notorious killers in 2014.

Academy Fellow Professor Carola Vinuesa also spoke about new genetic research she’d recently completed with international colleagues.

Shortly afterwards, Professor Vinuesa’s research prompted 90 eminent scientists—including Nobel laureates, medical practitioners, science leaders and other prominent Australians—to sign a petition calling for Kathleen Folbigg’s immediate pardon and release from jail.

“Expert advice should always be heard and listened to. It will always trump presumption,” said Professor Ian Chubb, former Chief Scientist and the Academy’s current Secretary for Science policy, regarding his signing of the petition.

The new research, the petition and the Academy’s role as an independent scientific adviser in the Folbigg case were among the factors that played a role in overturning one of Australia’s biggest miscarriages of justice.

“Science needs to inform decisions wherever they are made, including in the justice system, and the second Folbigg Inquiry benefited from the Academy being appointed an independent scientific adviser,” said Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish.

Following this judicial inquiry, the Academy has been calling for a more science-aware legal system in every Australian jurisdiction, so that miscarriages of justice are prevented or made less likely.

“The second Folbigg Inquiry amply illustrates how rapidly scientific knowledge is changing. The justice system needs a mechanism to accommodate relevant changes as and when they occur,” Professor Jagadish said.

The Academy supports law reform in three key areas:

• the adoption of a reliability standard under which expert evidence would only be considered by the courts if it is factual, not opinion or suspicion — a process some other jurisdictions with similar court systems have adopted
• mechanisms for the selection of experts by independent and reliable sources, particularly where complex scientific material is required to inform decision making
• the establishment of post appeals review mechanisms, such as a Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Law academics and media outlets are among those who have joined the Academy in calling for reform in Australia’s justice systems.

The Academy’s work to bring about law reform to create more science-aware legal systems continues, including seeking discussions with the scientific and legal communities, and Attorneys-General across Australia.

The Academy’s law reform proposals for a more science-receptive legal system featured recently in the Australian media.