The mathematical sciences in Australia: A vision for 2025

This is the first ten-year plan representing the strategic vision for the mathematical sciences – encompassing mathematics, statistics, and mathematics-based disciplines such as teaching and educational research.

Executive summary

The mathematical sciences sit squarely at the centre of modern life. They underpin our financial systems and all our information and communication technologies. They form the core of our attempts to predict the future of economic, social and environmental systems. They also drive new advances across a growing array of fields in science and technology. 

The importance of the mathematical sciences is expected to increase over the next decade. To ensure that Australia benefits fully from the substantial strength of its mathematical sciences community during this decade, this plan sets out the following four objectives. 

• Give all Australian schoolchildren access to outstanding mathematics teachers.
• Guarantee high standards of mathematical sciences teaching at Australian tertiary institutions.
• Achieve both global and local impact for Australian research in the mathematical sciences.
• Ensure that Australian society is capturing the benefits of mathematics-based technologies. 

The plan makes 12 recommendations that align with these objectives. These recommendations are the product of extensive consultation with mathematical scientists working in schools, universities, government agencies and industry. They are based on an analysis of opportunities and challenges and are accompanied by commitments made by the mathematical sciences community. The discipline, through the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Mathematical Sciences, will be formally monitoring progress on the recommendations on an annual basis.

Of the 12 recommendations, the following three stand out for their particular urgency and importance. 

1. Australian governments, schools and universities should urgently increase their provision of professional development for existing out-of-field school teachers of mathematics and enhance their commitment to the recruitment and retention of new, properly qualified staff.
2. Australian universities should immediately plan for the staged reintroduction of at least Year 12 intermediate mathematics subjects as prerequisites for all bachelors programs in science, engineering and commerce.
3. Australian universities should collaborate with the discipline to source seed funding for a new national research centre in the mathematical sciences with the objective of enhancing connectivity with industry and strengthening the international collaboration and visibility of Australian research in mathematics and statistics. 

These are the plan’s three key priorities. In pursuing the objectives of this plan, the mathematical sciences community makes the following commitment. 

We undertake to work closely with universities, school authorities and  the Australian Government to achieve our objectives for mathematics education in schools and universities, and to ensure the growth and impact of Australian research and its social benefits. We take principal responsibility for creating public awareness and understanding of our work, to enable the realisation of its benefits and to inspire tomorrow’s teachers, students and researchers. 

It is the strongly held belief of Australia’s mathematical sciences community that by implementing the decadal plan with specific emphasis on these three key priorities, we can achieve the following outcomes.

• Australian students at all levels will receive the mathematical education they need to lead fulfilling lives and to maximise their contribution to Australian society in an increasingly mathematical world.
• There will be a vibrant community of mathematicians and statisticians  who advance the frontiers of the discipline for the broader benefit of  Australian society. 

These outcomes will contribute significantly to Australia’s growth through to 2025 and beyond.

Annual reports on implementation progress