Australia must stare down the Trump administration’s attempt to influence research by applying a consistent approach to foreign interference, former Higher Education and Science minister Kim Carr says.
The former Victorian senator joined scientists in warning current members of parliament have not done enough to confront the Trump administration’s attempts to influence Australian research areas and partners.
“I’m disappointed that there’s been so little defence of our researchers from members of parliament. It is remarkable,” he told InnovationAus.com.
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Kim’s concerns are spot on. The current cost cutting is having big impacts not just in the US but here also. Also, it’s not just career academics who are impacted. Technical staff, and graduate students are having their funding pulled and are being let go. This capability is mobile and will move.
Australia has an opportunity here with the right policy settings and industry support to achieve a step up in key priority areas through targeted recruitment if the will is present.
But that’s the rub, we have to decide that we want to step up and commit to creating value for the mid to longer term.
Our sovereign security, a desperate need to improve our economic complexity / increase local manufacturing point towards us doing this. We should, but will we?