Democrat Senator Natasha Stott
Despoja.
Photo by Daniel Noone

I once heard it said that when a new government comes in, the seats in Parliament change but the script stays the same.

The Rudd Government went to the election as the party of the future – touting an ‘education revolution’; promising to act on climate change; and unwilling to countenance an Australia that “…did not make things anymore”.

Thus, its first Budget should have focused on setting up Australia to meet future challenges with innovative solutions. Instead, it adopted a confused message.

Universities will gain an injection of funding for infrastructure – namely, the $11 billion Education Investment Fund (EIF) and the $500 million Renewal Fund. These were a pleasant surprise and should help universities to pare back the sector-wide $2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance. Allowing research institutions to access the EIF is also a good move.

On the other side of the ledger, the axing of the $700 million Commercial Ready Program and cuts of more than $60 million to the CSIRO are ill-timed, with the Expert Panel for the Review of the National Innovation System yet to even deliver its Green Paper.

If the Panel were to praise the effect of Commercial Ready, the Government would be in an awful pickle. The cynic in me suggests that this will not be allowed to happen.

Labor went to the last election talking about the need to reduce red tape and streamline the bewildering array of support for innovation – the position of the Australian Democrats also – but they have now created six new programs. Yet more evidence of a confused commentary.

There are times when the Government needs to tighten the proverbial belt but research and innovation is one of the last areas that should be cut. It lays the groundwork for future economic, environmental and social wellbeing.

The National Innovation Review may result in fundamental and long-term improvement in our support for innovation. So far though, the script has not changed that much.

Senator Natasha Stott Despoja is the Australian Democrats spokeperson for Science and research, and higher Education.