The Australian Academy of Science has applauded the Australian Government’s ‘Advancing Women in STEM’ strategy released today by Minister for Industry, Science and Technology the Hon Karen Andrews MP.

Advancing Women in STEM responds to the issues outlined in the Women in STEM Decadal Plan released on 1 April 2019 by the Academy of Science and the Academy of Technology and Engineering, and outlines the Government’s commitment and the role it plays in supporting increased gender equity across the STEM sector.

The Academy supports the three key areas of focus presented in the strategy, which are closely aligned with the Women in STEM Decadal Plan: enabling STEM potential through education; supporting women in STEM careers; and making women in STEM visible.

The Government's women in STEM strategy also outlines the broad range of programs and initiatives led or supported by the Australian Government to support girls and women in STEM.

This includes $1.8 million new funding announced in the 19/20 Federal Budget to support the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative, a unique transformative national gender equity program designed to achieve sustained change via ongoing evaluation and a national accreditation framework.

President of the Academy of Science Professor John Shine AC said that the Australian Government has a leadership role as an employer of women with STEM qualifications; as a provider of STEM education; and in its role in developing policies and funding programs to achieve gender equity. 

“The Australian Government’s unique role in modelling and encouraging best practice is a powerful lever for change.

“The Advancing Women in STEM strategy clearly articulates a leadership role for the Australian Government and acknowledges the importance of working with stakeholders across the STEM ecosystem to achieve gender equity in STEM in Australia.

“It is particularly pleasing to see the government’s ongoing commitment to the SAGE program which is bringing about sustained change in the higher education and research sector.

“The Academy applauds the development of best-practice guidelines for government grant programs so that they are administered in such a way that does not disadvantage women.

 “To meet the rising demand for STEM skills, attracting women and girls to STEM and providing an environment for them to thrive and progress is a shared responsibility of government, academia, the education system, industry and the community.

“The Academy of Science looks forward to working closely with the Australian Government to deliver a strategic, sustained and evidence-based approach to tackling gender inequity in STEM,” Professor Shine concluded.

The Women in STEM Decadal Plan was developed by the Australian Academy of Science in collaboration with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and offers a vision and six opportunities to guide government, academia, industry, the education sector and the community as they go about taking actions to build the strongest STEM workforce possible to support Australia’s prosperity.

Fourteen collaborative research projects will collectively receive $1.25 million of Australian Government funding as part of the Regional Collaborations Programme, administered by the Australian Academy of Science.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews announced successful grant recipients today.

The funding is provided under the second round of the $3.2 million Regional Collaborations Programme, part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda.

The grants will support Australian researchers who are collaborating with Asia–Pacific partners to develop innovative solutions to shared challenges.

Funded projects address a range of health, technological and environmental challenges, including battery recycling, malaria and coastal water quality monitoring.

The largest grant, of $257,767, goes to the Menzies School of Health Research for a project with collaborators in Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Netherlands aiming to reduce malaria risk in areas where two types of malaria (Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum) co-exist.

Other recipients include collaborative research initiatives between:

• CSIRO—Oceans and Atmosphere Business Unit and partners in Singapore and Malaysia to develop a digital Earth observation-based solution to improve monitoring and management actions for coastal water quality ($228,390)
• Asbestos Diseases Research Institute and partners in New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Fiji, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines to share preventative technologies to address asbestos-related diseases ($150,000)
• The Burnet Institute with partners in Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to develop systems for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance across the Pacific ($127,240)
• Curtin University with partners in Vietnam and Japan to research selective solvent extraction for recycling lithium-based batteries ($108,000)

See all funded projects in Round 2

The Regional Collaborations Programme aims to strengthen research ties between Australia and the wider Asia–Pacific region. The programme supports greater mobility among our technical and research workforce and enhances links across global science and research networks.

More information on the Regional Collaborations Programme

The 2019-20 Federal Budget contains mixed news for science, with a number of very welcome announcements along with some cuts to research programs.

Positive measures include $3.4 million new funding to support women in STEM, including the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative led by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. 

Also included are a raft of initiatives through the Medical Research Future Fund, $25 million new funding for coastal, environment and climate research, $56 million for nuclear medicine and waste management, $5 million for a dark matter particle research facility, $15 million for expanded outreach and education activities through Questacon, and $19.5 million over four years to establish a Space Infrastructure Fund.

Negatives include the abolition of the $3.9 billion Education Investment Fund which could have been used to support strategic research infrastructure; and savings of almost $50 million from the entrepreneurship and industry research programs. 

President of the Academy of Science, Professor John Shine AC, said that while the Academy applauded the range of new initiatives, it was hoped that there would be more focus on science and innovation in the budget given the Government’s emphasis on knowledge and skills.

“It is counterintuitive to seek to produce a surplus by cutting the knowledge economy. The reductions in indexation of research programs over the forward estimates, resulting in cuts of $345 million to university research funding remain concerning.” Professor Shine said. 

“Given the Government’s focus on economic growth it is disappointing that some of the very welcome announcements in this budget went hand in hand with some cuts to Australia’s research programs” Professor Shine said.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON 2019-2020 SCIENCE BUDGET MEASURES

Major science initiatives announced or elaborated in the Budget include:

• $56.4 million over three years to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation to support nuclear medicine production, critical radioactive waste management and nuclear decommissioning activities, and asset management. The Government will also provide an equity injection of $56 million to ensure the continued protection of both the community and the environment.
• $25 million over four years to establish a coasts, environment and climate science research and education centre at Point Nepean, Victoria. The centre will be led by Monash University and the University of Melbourne and include an interdisciplinary research facility on marine and coastal ecosystems, climate science and environmental management.
• $15.1 million over three years to expand Questacon’s education and outreach activities.
• $3.4 million over four years to support women in STEM through the SAGE Initiative and a digital National Awareness Raising Initiative led by the Women in STEM Ambassador Professor Lisa Harvey Smith.
• $19.5 million over four years to establish a Space Infrastructure Fund.
• $5 million over two years to build the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory to allow the University of Melbourne to join the global research effort to understand dark matter.
• Funding of $2.9 million over three years to facilitate national leadership in agricultural innovation.
• $3.6 million over two years from 2019-20 to trial a National Innovation Games through which students will work together to solve innovation, technology and/or digital challenges set by a corporate sponsor.
• $0.5 million over five years (and $0.1 million ongoing from 2023-24) to establish an Australian Antarctic Science Council that would support reform initiatives announced as part of the Government’s response to the Australian Antarctic Science Program Governance Review 2017

Savings measures include:

• Abolishing the $3.9 billion Education Investment Fund and using the capital to establish a new Emergency Response Fund.
• Savings of $48.9 million over five years from 2018-19 from the Entrepreneurs’ Programme and the Industry Growth Centres Initiative. 
• Reductions in indexation of science and research programs over the forward estimates resulting in savings of:
  • $345 million to university research funding through the research support program.  

Based on the information available, the Australian Academy of Science’s media release in response to the Federal Budget stated that there had been cuts of $21.5 million over the forward estimates to the CSIRO. This analysis was derived by comparing the 2019/20 budget with the previous year’s budget over the forward estimates period.

Further information provided subsequently has clarified that the budget was referring to a reduction in the CSIRO’s total expenses, not a reduction in Government funding to CSIRO. The Academy understands that the Government’s investment in CSIRO across this period remains consistent with previous levels, increasing by over $6 million in line with indexation.

Australia has not yet made the systemic changes required to achieve diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), with the current under-representation and under-utilisation of women in the STEM workforce posing a threat to Australia’s prosperity.

The findings are contained in the Women in STEM Decadal Plan launched this evening at Parliament House by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews. The plan was developed by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering.

It outlines six opportunities to strengthen gender equity in STEM in Australia over the next 10 years, including establishing a national evaluation framework to guide decision making and drive investment and effort into STEM measures that work.

Australian Academy of Science Fellow and Expert Working Group member, Professor Sue O’Reilly AM FAA, said while many organisations are taking actions at an individual level to support the attraction, retention and progression of women in STEM, extensive stakeholder consultations confirmed there is an urgent case for cohesive, systemic and sustained change.

“Change can commence at the grassroots and this should not be discouraged. However, the systemic and sustained change required to make a step change in achieving gender equity in Australia will primarily occur when led and championed from the top,” Professor O’Reilly said.

The decadal plan highlights the economic case for gender equity, citing the 2017 World Economic Forum’s ‘Gender gap report’ which estimates that closing the gender gap in economic participation by 25% by 2025 could add as much as US$5.3 trillion to global gross domestic product (GDP) in the same timeframe.

“It’s not just an equality perspective that’s important here, it’s a business imperative,” said Australia’s first ambassador for Women in STEM, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith.

“Australia needs to be the clever country again. We need to be getting those large tech companies to stay in Australia and we need to be developing business capabilities around the new economies and become worldwide competitive again.”

Dr Bruce Godfrey, Vice President of Diversity at the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, said the plan provides the first opportunity to tackle the issue of gender equity at a national scale and highlights the importance of government, academia, industry, the education sector and the community working together to drive change.

“If this plan and the opportunities contained within it are realised, the STEM graduates of 2030—9- and 10-year-olds making their way through primary school in 2019, as well as those entering the workforce from other life journeys—will join workplaces that are respectful, free of harassment and discrimination, value diversity, and structured to support a variety of STEM careers that include women in leadership positions,” Dr Godfrey said.

The starting point for the implementation of the plan is a Pathways to Equity in STEM workshop hosted by the academies in Melbourne on 3 April. It will provide an opportunity for delegates to learn what other organisations are doing in the gender equity space, providing a platform for both learning and collaboration.

Read the Women in STEM Decadal Plan

The Australian Academy of Science has applauded the announcement by the Morrison Government to invest $3.4 million to improve science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) equity in Australia and boost the participation of girls and women in STEM careers.

Academy President Professor John Shine said the $1.8 million commitment to extend the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE)—a partnership between the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering—was particularly significant.

“SAGE is the only transformative gender equity program of its kind in Australia designed to achieve sustained change via ongoing evaluation and a national accreditation framework,” Professor Shine said. 

SAGE was set up to pilot the UK’s Athena SWAN Charter and accreditation framework in Australia. Fifteen Australian institutions were recognised for their efforts to improve gender equity, receiving the inaugural Athena SWAN Bronze Awards from SAGE in December last year.

“Australia has taken a leadership role by piloting the Athena SWAN Charter program, with countries such as Canada and the United States now following our example,” Professor Shine said. 

The Australian Government’s continued support of the SAGE pilot positions Australia well and represents a strategic and forward-thinking investment that will allow the successful pilot to have greater reach and impact.

“The Academy called for a stronger commitment to equity in science as one of its key priorities for the upcoming Federal election, recognising the positive and sustained impact of SAGE,” Professor Shine said.

“Minister Andrews’ bold vision to have all eligible Australian research institutions being SAGE members and demonstrating their commitment to gender equity is commendable and achievable.”

The Academy also welcomes funding for a national digital awareness raising initiative to be supported by Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith.

“Efforts to improve the visibility of girls and women in STEM and showcase the diverse career opportunities available by studying STEM are critically important,” Professor Shine said.

“In making these announcements, Minister Andrews has recognised that supporting women’s participation in STEM has a positive economic impact.”

“Australia needs access to all its available talent regardless of who or where they are, and we must ensure everyone takes action through the Women in STEM Decadal Plan,” Professor Shine said.  

The plan was developed by the Academy of Science in partnership with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. It will be launched on Monday evening, 1 April at Parliament House by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews.

It will identify opportunities to bring about the systemic changes required to achieve gender equity in STEM and will call on leaders across the STEM ecosystem to drive action to achieve this.

Professor Akshay Venkatesh and Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, both based in the United States, have been admitted to the Australian Academy of Science for outstanding scientific contributions.

Professor Venkatesh is an Australian mathematician currently based at the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton. His work uses number theory—the branch of mathematics that deals with the properties and relationships of numbers—as a ‘lens’ to approach a range of fields including homogeneous dynamics, arithmetic geometry and representation theory.

According to Professor Venkatesh’s citation, “He has solved many long-standing problems by combining methods from seemingly unrelated areas, presented novel viewpoints on classical problems, and produced strikingly far-reaching conjectures.”

In 2018, Professor Venkatesh won the Fields Medal—the most prestigious international award in mathematics awarded once every four years to researchers under 40.

Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski is a world-leading chemist at Carnegie Mellon University. His fundamental contributions have changed the face of free radical chemistry and polymer science.

In 1994, Professor Matyjaszewski invented a method of polymerisation—a chemical reaction to produce long chain-like molecules—using a copper catalyst. Called atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP), Professor Matyjaszewski’s method has spawned a prolific area of research and several industry developments, including the commercial production of specialty materials.

Corresponding Members of the Academy are eminent scientists not resident in Australia. They are elected based on scientific excellence, with consideration given to their connection to Australian science.

The Australian Academy of Science will announce the election of 22 distinguished Australian scientists as New Fellows, to mark the start of Science at the Shine Dome, on 28 May 2019.

The President of the Australian Academy of Science Professor John Shine AC FAA has welcomed calls for a global moratorium on all clinical uses of genetic editing of heritable human DNA.

The proposal was made by a group of eminent scientists in the journal Nature as a way of ensuring controlled development of new gene editing technology. It follows claims revealed last year that a scientist in China edited the DNA of early embryos in treatments that resulted in the birth of twins with an altered genome.

Professor Shine said that germline editing of human DNA (changing the genetic code in a way that could be inherited by future generations) has the potential to deliver revolutionary new treatments for a number of genetic diseases. However, it has not been tested in humans or shown to be safe. 

“The Australian Academy of Science believes it is a matter of urgency that Australia joins other nations in considering these important issues and implementing a moratorium on heritable human gene editing in Australian universities, Medical Research Institutes, clinics and hospitals,” Professor Shine said.

Germline editing of human embryos for reproductive purposes is prohibited in Australia.

“We urge the National Health and Medical Research Council, which has responsibility for oversight of the relevant legislation, to implement a moratorium on considering legislative change to allow heritable human gene editing for reproductive purposes in Australian Universities, Institutes, clinics and hospitals,” Professor Shine said.

“Neither the scientific nor the wider community has had the opportunity to discuss the technical, scientific, medical, societal, legal and ethical issues that must be considered before any possible clinical or therapeutic use of such technologies in humans.”

To begin this consultative process, the Academy will convene a meeting of relevant stakeholders to begin discussions on the implications of possible uses of human germline gene editing and to discuss implementation of a moratorium in Australia.

The world’s leading science academies have sent a strong message to the world that science has a crucial role in protecting coastal and marine ecosystems from very serious current and future threats.

The national academies of the world’s wealthiest countries, known as the S20, produced a statement at a gathering in Japan recently outlining the greatest dangers to marine environments: plastic debris and other pollution, damaging fishing practices, and global warming, ocean acidification and ocean deoxygenation.

The statement emphasised the importance of expert research, innovation and evidence-based approaches toward resolving undesirable impacts on marine environments and ocean health that are directly linked to ecosystems and human wellbeing. It also encouraged increased recycling and energy efficient practices, as well as global collaborations at all levels with science-based target setting and follow ups to reduce stressors on coastal and marine ecosystems.

Academy Fellow Emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger represented the Australian Academy of Science at the event, and coral reef expert Academy Fellow Professor Terry Hughes provided advice to the statement.

The statement, ‘Threats to Coastal and Marine Ecosystems and Conservation of the Ocean Environment—with Special Attention to Climate Change and Marine Plastic Waste’, was submitted to Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

This was the first time the S20 was held in Asia and comes ahead of the major G20 summit to be  held in June in Japan.

The 2020 S20 and G20 meetings will take place in Saudi Arabia.

Five Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science are among the recipients of the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects scheme, announced by the Minister for Education Dan Tehan.

The funding for research partnerships includes:

$898,560 for the University of Western Australia to lead an international project that will test and review the success of teaching Einstein’s theories of space, time, matter, light and gravity. The research will be led by Chief Investigator Emeritus Professor David Blair FAA, Professor Susan Scott FAA and collaborators.

$440,000 for the University of Melbourne to advance the understanding of turbulent heat transfer, to allow more reliable, efficient and durable designs for energy generation. The research will be led by Chief Investigator Professor Richard Sandberg, Professor Ivan Marusic FAA and collaborators.

$430,000 for the University of Melbourne to establish the capability to manufacture application-specific semiconductor lasers. The project will use existing facilities in Australia to enhance Australia’s quantum science research and establish a viable export-dominated high-tech manufacturing business. The research will be led by Chief Investigator Professor Robert Scholten, Professor Chennupati Jagadish FAA and collaborators.

$460,000 for the Australian National University to improve the management of Australia's threatened mammals. Using new genomics methods, the project will measure the effects of small population size on genetic diversity and mutation load, in extinct as well as remnant and translocated populations. The research will be led by Chief Investigator Professor Craig Moritz FAA and collaborators.

More information about the grants