14 May 2010

Professor Linda Rosenman

It was always going to be hard to ask for new spending for innovation and research and in 2010, as it was only last year the Council and its member organisations celebrated a 25 per cent boost in investment. In the end, the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research has seen some cuts while many important areas are facing static funding levels.

The major new spending in the Council's areas of interest is the commitment to link the Australian National University with the Australian public service. The university has nearly $112 million of funding for the new national institute of public policy and there is some follow through support for the Australian New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG). This is a significant public commitment by the Australian Government to linking academic and research institutions with policy makers.

The Government has kept its commitments to the Powering Ideas agenda in research funding, but the Green Cars initiative has been cut by $200 million. There is no forward funding from 2011 for the International Science Linkages program but with a House of Representatives committee looking at this issue there is an opportunity for further review. The ISL program was only recently opened to HASS applications and should be an important part of international collaboration for new knowledge. There is no provision for an increase in funding grants for programs like Research Training, or a replacement for the NCRIS program.

In the Arts and Heritage portfolio there are small new commitments to heritage sites, including the Kokoda trail, and investment in contemporary music. The Major Festivals Initiative, the fund for commissioning innovative and cross art form work for presentation at seven capital city festivals, has been renewed at existing levels; there is also continuing work to help visual artists, particularly in indigenous arts, develop business skills and support. The Australia Council and the national collecting institutions, however, have little new funding, except for already agreed and resourced building projects. The annual "efficiency dividend" continues to bite deep within these cultural institutions which have little flexibility in cutting overhead costs.

In education new funding is for VET and TAFE, aimed at boosting literacy and increasing skills training in areas of shortage. The Australian Learning and Teaching Council faces deep cuts to funding from 2011-2012.

The Council is pleased that the Cooperative Research Centres program has continuing support, with a pleasing number of proposals for funding developing in the humanities, creative arts and social sciences areas. Over in other portfolios new funding for health reform opens the prospect of knowledge exchange between public health and preventative health researchers and those working to introduce reforms in this area.

CHASS will receive a special one-off payment to assist in developing a longer term sustainability plan. The Government has recognised the Council's value as a platform in promoting and communicating the important research and knowledge in the humanities, arts and social sciences and will be talking with us about how to continue the development of key events such as HASS on the Hill.

The Council's three year funding agreement with the Australian government ends this year. Discussions with Government will focus on new sources of public and private funding for HASS on the Hill, new events like the planned National Forum for research communications and exchange, and the core capabilities in communications and promotion.

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Kim Carr, has accepted an invitation to speak at HASS on the Hill on 18 October 2010, providing an important opportunity to talk about this new program and the Minister's own goals for the sector.

From the Council's President Professor Linda Rosenman

Linda Rosenman
14 May 2010

 

 

For more information, please contact:

Executive Director

Council of the Humanties, Arts and Social Sciences

Phone: +61 2 6249 1995

director@chass.org.au