Australian Politics Forum

Australian Politics Forum
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl General Discussion >> Federal Politics >> Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1411930618 Message started by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 4:56am

Title: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 4:56am

Australian Government investment in science reaches 30-year low

The Australian government's investment in research and development has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years, an analysis of government figures shows.

Science and innovation spending has fallen to 2.2 per cent of total budget expenditure this year, the lowest share since 1984-5, a Fairfax Media analysis has found.

This is the third consecutive year government R&D spending has fallen as a share of either GDP or total budget spend.

"You do start to worry when science spend falls," said economist Jim Minifie, program director of productivity growth at the Grattan Institute.

"Innovation is what drives improvements in living standards, no doubt about it."

R&D investment has grown at less than half the rate of total budget expenditure over the past two decades. At an average annual rate of 2 per cent, real growth in science spending lags far behind transport (23.5 per cent), public safety (8.8 per cent) housing (6.6 per cent) and health (5.5 per cent). Total budget expenditure has increased 4.4 per cent in real terms since the mid-1990s.

Budget figures also show science and innovation spending has fallen to its lowest share of GDP in 25 years. This year's expenditure of 0.56 per cent of GDP is the lowest since 1989-90, according to a Parliamentary Library analysis provided to the Greens.

The Australian Academy of Science president Andrew Holmes said there was substantial evidence that public investment in research increased productivity.

A 2012 study found investment in basic research led to 30 times more economic growth than investment in physical capital such as infrastructure. Investment in applied research led to 10 times more growth.

"We've been lucky so far, but with a mining boom that is slowing and an economy in transition, that luck could run out," Holmes said.

"If we don't strategically invest in science and research, we'll be ill-prepared for future challenges whilst other nations are powering ahead of us reaping the rewards of increased scientific investment."

While not all innovation needs to be local, too little investment in local R&D carries dangers, Dr Minifie warned.

"There are clearly huge spillovers to R&D among the community of advanced countries … [But] to be in a position to access those fruits, you need to be sufficiently sophisticated."

Australia ranked 18th out of 20 advanced economies - ahead of only Greece and the Slovak Republic - for government R&D spending as a share of GDP in 2013. In 2012, Australia ranked 24th out of 28 countries, according to OECD data compiled by the Greens.

The Academy, the chief scientist and The Greens have called for Australia to lift public and private R&D from 2.2 per cent of GDP to three per cent, in line with countries like the US.

The chief scientist Ian Chubb said one of the major effects of government investment in research was that it encouraged businesses to take "creative risks" to develop and apply that new knowledge. This has flow-on effects for jobs and the economy.

"Without research funding from government, business will not take risks," he said.

But Professor Chubb also said Australia desperately needed a national science strategy to highlight where future money would be best spent.

"If the public really understood all the benefits that accrue to them on a daily, if not hourly, basis from research and development that was done somewhere in Australia, or was brought to Australia, then they would be ensuring that our politicians understood the importance of this for the future of the country."

The Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt said public investment in R&D not only improved health and welfare through better vaccines and communications technology, but was increasingly a cornerstone of our economy.

"Since 2009, our manufacturing sector has made more money each year exporting health and medical products than exporting cars."

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane did not respond to questions about the government's cuts to science programs but he said it would soon release its "Competitiveness Agenda".

"One of the key elements of this strategy will be to draw science further into industry policy and to create stronger links between business, research and science," he said.

www.theage.com.au/technology/sci-tech/australian-government-investment-in-science-reaches-30year-low-20140928-10lbwk.html

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by aquascoot on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am

Whilst I agree we should be investing in science, I'm not sure the greens should be lecturing.

Most scientists agree GM food shows wonderful potential to improve human suffering and provide nutrition to the worlds poor.

Yet a team of Phd students at ANU lost their entire 6 years of research when green activists , paid for out of greenpeaces budget, if memory serves me correctly, destroyed the entire project with herbicide in a midnight raid,

Highly unscientific, IMHO

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Armchair_Politician on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:10am

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

The Greens don't get to decide what research is allowed and what isn't. What those eco-terrorists did was unacceptable. With actions like that, it's little wonder the Greens sit on the edge of the political abyss, needing just one more nudge to fall in completely.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dame Pansi on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:12am

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

Most scientists agree GM food shows wonderful potential to improve human suffering and provide nutrition to the worlds poor.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:17am

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

I support the suspension of all GM crops and GM food in Australia until full 'independent' testing are completed. Do you?

Or do you and your conservative mates support the community being used as crash test dummies via their food?

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by aquascoot on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:19am

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:12am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

Most scientists agree GM food shows wonderful potential to improve human suffering and provide nutrition to the worlds poor.

In central Africa , bananas are a staple food for millions of people who eat up to 12 to 15 a day.

It is very easy to put the GM gene for extra iron, into this species and prevent millions of cases of anaemia.
Anaemic children are, in general, 10 points lower in IQ.

Sounds like a win/win to me

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:50am

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:19am:

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:12am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

Most scientists agree GM food shows wonderful potential to improve human suffering and provide nutrition to the worlds poor.

And multinationals then own them bananas. Multinational profits over humanitarian interests will win yet again. Never again will people have access to free wild food ... or even free food grown on their land. That's the long term game isn't it. Slavery of humanity via their stomachs.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by longweekend58 on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:59am

expenditure by labor dropped for 3 years PRIOR to abbott.

miss something, did we?

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 7:05am

longweekend58 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:59am:

expenditure by labor dropped for 3 2 years PRIOR to abbott.

miss something, did we?

Yet Labor isn't the current anti-science government ... it's in opposition.

The abbott mob is.
i.e No Science Minister !
How will they re-enact noah's ark without one.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by El Gatto on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 11:58am

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:17am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

I support the suspension of all GM crops and GM food in Australia until full 'independent' testing are completed. Do you? Yes.

Or do you and your conservative mates support the community being used as crash test dummies via their food? No.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dnarever on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:13pm

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

Are you saying that the solution is to stop doing all R&D?

It seems to me that your contribution is not relevant to the topic ?

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dsmithy70 on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm

One can only hope the majority of the Australian public consider the countries long term future above their hip pocket come the next election.

However, who will these people vote for?

Labor?????

Whilst Gillard lead the party with bold initiatives such as CT & NDIS, does anyone truly believe that Shorten & Co have any interest in hard political sell of policies that are not instantaneous gratification??
Sorry I cant.

As for the Greens, well I actually blame them for the sh!thole we now find ourselves in.

Above anything else had they supported Rudd's ETS & got something instead of nothing our political players if not fortunes would be vastly different.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dnarever on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:45pm

Quote:

Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low

Big win for Abbott - some think he isn't the worst ever.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dnarever on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:46pm

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm:

Above anything else had they supported Rudd's ETS & got something instead of nothing our political players if not fortunes would be vastly different.

Yep they messed that one up really badly.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:51pm

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm:

Locked in $4 a tonne, massive compensation to the polluters, and billions to rectify at a later date.
That's not a solution since there is nothing to drive change ... and Labor new it.

It was a faux ETS and thats why Rudd ran from a DD.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dsmithy70 on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:55pm

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:51pm:

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm:

I agree it was a joke, however it was a start.

But regardless of your excuses there is no denying that was the spark that lit the fuse that is PM Abbott.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by St George of the Puissant HLT on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:02pm

They “messed up” because they are conservatives not leftist, not progressive.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by DaS Energy on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:28pm

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm:

Rudd's ETS was specific only his limited business selection be allowed to Carbon trade in Australia. All other Australians free to join overseas Carbon Trading schemes.

The Greens put on personal notice they commit contempt of the High Court if voting for Rudd's plan.

All Labour politicians put on personal notice they commit contempt to the High Court if voting for Rudd's plan.

LNP politicians face the same charges if Direct Action continues as set out, which may explain the LNP reluctance to put it before the people and Parliament.

High Court Ruling 1953, Constitution section 53, no protection for a Government entity engaged in business!

Auctioning Carbon Credits printed by the LNP is such protection, given no other business allowed to print and sell Carbon permits in competition to the Commonwealth entity.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:32pm

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:55pm:

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:51pm:

Dsmithy70 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:20pm:

I agree it was a joke, however it was a start.

But regardless of your excuses there is no denying that was the spark that lit the fuse that is PM Abbott.

I would of thought the Labor government's incompetence and infighting was the open door for the abbott mob.

Anywho that's history. Focus should be on keeping them to a one term mistake.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Greens_Win on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:33pm

St George of the Garden wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:02pm:

They “messed up” because they are conservatives not leftist, not progressive.

Claiming without facts makes your opinion an opinion only.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Armchair_Politician on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:40pm

Dnarever wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 12:13pm:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:10am:

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 6:06am:

aquascoot wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 5:42am:

www.wired.com/2014/09/new-gm-crops/

Are you saying that the solution is to stop doing all R&D?

It seems to me that your contribution is not relevant to the topic ?

Are you dyslexic or something? Read what I said again, because I'm pretty sure I said it was wrong for those eco-terrorists to destroy that six years worth of research - experiments that would tell us whether it was safe or not. How will we know if these eco-terrorists funded by groups such as Greenpeace (should be renamed Greenwar) continue to carry out such illegal actions?

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by St George of the Puissant HLT on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 2:00pm

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:33pm:

St George of the Garden wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:02pm:

They “messed up” because they are conservatives not leftist, not progressive.

Claiming without facts makes your opinion an opinion only.

I have argued my case before but the conservatives:

1. Voted down the CPRS

2. The so–called Greens then set a long fixed price period for the ETS. That allowed monkey to rescind the Carbon Price

3. Conservatives agreed between themselves to support monkey’s stupid PPL

4. The conservatives agreed among themselves to abolish the borrowing limit. Don’t want a conservative govt to be embarrassed, do we?

The Greens talk the Environment-Progressive talk, but they walk the conservative walk.

That dichotomy between words and actions is probably why the Green vote is declining. People do eventually realise that what the Greens actually DO makes things worse.

Title: Re: Abbott Mob's 30Yr Low
Post by Dsmithy70 on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 2:10pm

____ wrote on Sep 29^th, 2014 at 1:32pm:

I would of thought the Labor government's incompetence and infighting was the open door for the abbott mob.

And what was the catalyst for this infighting etc?

The fact Rudds poll numbers dropped & his personality.

Labor as Liberal will put up with idiot assholes as leader as long as poll numbers remain firm.

What made the polls drop?

The failure to do anything about the 'GREATEST MORAL CHALLENGE" of our time.

Like I said, its not the sole reason but the spark.