University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 1989 Australian science in crisis, 1984: the founding of the Federation of Australian Scientific nda Technological Societies (FASTS) Richard Payling University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Payling, Richard, Australian science in crisis, 1984: the founding of the Federation of Australian Scientific nda Technological Societies (FASTS), Master of Arts (Hons.) thesis, Department of Science and Technology Studies, University of Wollongong, 1989. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/2226 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE IN CRISIS: 1984 The Founding of the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS) A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of: MASTER OF ARTS (HONOURS) from THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by RICHARD PAYLING, B.Sc.(Hons.), Ph.D. Department of Science and Technology Studies November 1989 ii ABSTRACT The thesis covers two troubled years in Australian science: April 1983 to April 1985. The two years began with the arrival of Barry Jones as Minister for Science and Technology, with his vision of a high technology future, and the growth in expectations amongst Australian scientists - resulting from this vision - of increased government support for scientific research. They ended in dismay following the fall from grace of Barry Jones, the dashing of expecta­ tions from the 1984 federal budget, and the resolve of scientists to form a national political organisation FASTS (the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies), to act on their behalf to lobby government. The magnitude of the crisis in 1984 which produced FASTS indi­ cates. the essentially internal nature of the crisis. The marginal and powerless position of the scientific community in 1984 demonstrates the inadequacy of any definition of science which does not accommo­ date the broader social and political nature of science. iii DECLARATION This work has not been submitted for a degree to any other University or Institution. R. PAYLING iv CONTENTS Tables and Figure viii Abbreviations ix Acknowledgements xii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Australian Science 1 1.2. Earlier Crises in Australian Science 13 1.3. Other Science Organisations 22 Notes 27 2. GROWING EXPECTATIONS 1983 31 Part 1: The 1983 Election and the Economic Summit 31 2.1. Barry Jones and the Post-industrial Society 31 2.2. The Federal Election 1983 40 2.3. Jones, Minister for science and Technology 44 2.4. Jones on High Technology and Sunrise Industries 47 2.5. The Espie Report on High Technology 52 2.6. The ASIA Report on Technology and Industry 54 2.7. The Anti-Sunrise Industries Debate 55 2.8. Consens~s, Interest Groups, and the Economic Summit 57 2.9. The AIP President and Vice President Meet Jones 64 2.10. The AIP Science Policy Committee 1983 65 ' 2.11. The ARGS in 1983 68 2.12. A Public Voice Needed for Scientists 71 Notes 73 v Part 2: The National Technology Conference 81 2.13. ANU Seminar on "science Research in Australia - Who Benefits?" 81 2.14. AIP Seminar on "Physics and the New Technology - sunrise or Sunset?" 88 2.15. ASTEC 1983 89 2.16. The Debate on Science and Technology Policy 1983 91 2.17. The Science and Technology Statement 1982/83 97 2.18. The Budget 1983 98 2.19. The ARGS After the Budget 101 2.20. The CSIRO 1983 102 2.21. Plans for the National Technology Summit 107 2.22. The AIP Preparation 109 2.23. The National Technology Conference 112 2.24. Jones at the End of 1983 116 Notes 117 3. GROWING APPREHENSION 1984 124 3.1. Hawke and the Japanese Experiment 124 3.2. Jones in 1984 127 3.3. Opposition to Jones 128 3.4. Industrial R&D 1984 131 3.5. The ARGS 1984 132 3.6. Relevance in University Research 132 3.7. The National Technology Strategy: Discussion Draft 136 3.8. Reactions to the National Technology Strategy 139 3.9. The AIP and the National Technol9gy Strategy 143 3.10. The Revised Discussion Draft 145 3.11. The Budget 1984 147 3.12. Reactions to the Budget 150 3.13. Why this Reaction? 156 3.14. The Budget in Context 162 vi Notes 172 4. THE MEETINGS OF CONCERN (November) 1984 - (April) 1985 178 Part 1: (November-December) 1984 4.1. Rumours of a new Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce 178 4.2. The Debate on Tax Incentives for Industrial R&D 180 4.3. More Relevance in University Research 181 4.4. The Science Crisis Grows 189 4.5. The CSIRO Speaks Out 190 4.6. The Combined Meetings of Staff 193 4. 7. The ARGS Case for 1986 196 4.8. The Meeting of Australia's Major Scientific Societies 197 4.9. The National Committee for the Promotion of Science and Technology 202 4.10. The Federal Election 1984 206 4.11. DITAC Formed 208 4.12. The OECD Report on Science and Technology 210 4.13. The Economy 1984 211 Notes 211 Part 2: (January-April) 1985 216 4.14. The Restructuring of Industry 216 4.15. Still More Relevance in Academic Research 218 4.16. The CSIRO 1985 221 4.17. Preparations. for the National Meeting of Concern 224 4.18. The National Meeting of Concern on Science and Technology 229 4.19. The Audience 235 4.20. The Resolutions 237 4.21. The Interim Federation Committee 242 vii 4.22. Reactions to the National Meeting of Concern 243 Notes 245 5. CONCLUSION 249 Notes 260 Bibliography 2 61 Published sources 261 Unpublished sources 277 Relevant papers and publications by the author on science and technology 280 viii TABLES AND FIGURE Table 3.1 The long term trend in the R&D expenditures of the six commonwealth agencies with the largest R&D budgets, relative to GDP 167 Table 3.2 The long term trend in the major common wealth R& D granting programs, incentives and bounties, relative to GDP 167 Figure 3 .1 The long term trend in total common wealth budget support for R&D in Australia, relative to GDP 166 ix ABBREVIATIONS AAEC Australian Atomic Energy Commission (now ANSTO) A A HP s SS Australian Association for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science AAS Australian Academy of Science AASW Australian Association of Scientific Workers ABC Australian Broadcasting commission ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics ACR Australian committee for Research ACS Australian computer society ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions AGC Australian Geoscience Council AGM Annual General Meeting AIM Australasian Institute of Metals AIMF Australasian Institute of Metals Finishing AIP Australian Institute of Physics AIRDIB Australian Industrial Research and Development Incentives Board AIR DIS Australian Industrial Research and Development Incentives Scheme AIRG Australian Industrial Research Group ALP Australian Labor Party AAHL Australian Animal Health Laboratory ANRC Australian National Research Council ANS TO Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANU Australian National University ANZ AAS Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science ARC Australian Research Council ARGC Australian Research Grants Committee ARGS Australian Research Grants Scheme x ASIA Australian Scientific Instruments Association AST EC Australian Science and Technology Council ATS Australian Academy of Technological Sciences AVCC Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee CAI Confederation of Australian Industry CAPA Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations CPI Consumer Price Index CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisa­ tion CSR Colonial Sugar Refinery Ltd. CTEC Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission DITAC Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce DST Department of science and Technology DSTO Defence Science and Technology Organisation FASTS Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies FAUS A Federation of Australian University Staff Associations FSTW Federation of scientific Workers GDP Gross Domestic Product HERD Higher Education R&D IAC Industries Assistance Commission IFC Interim Federation Committee (FASTS) MI Cs Licensed Management and Investment Companies MIT! Japanese Ministry for International Trade and Industry NCPST National Committee for the Promotion of Science and Technologi NERD DC National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Council NH&MRC National Health and Medical Research council NS TIS National Science and Technology Information Service NRC . National Research Council NS TAG National Science and Technology Analysis Group NTC National Technology Conference xi NTS National Technology Strategy OECD · Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development QEFARGC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowships and ARGC RAC! Royal Australian Chemical Institute R&D Research and Development S&T Science and Technology SPC AIP Science Policy Committee TAFE Technical and Further Education Telecom Australian Telecommunications Commission UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organ is a ti on WIMPS Workers in Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences xii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance of my supervisor, Professor Ron Johnston - first in the TASC course he established, at the University of Wollongong, which provided the vision of science as a social construction, so necessary for the background of this thesis, and secondly in his incisive comments on the thesis itself; of Associate Professor Jim Falk, Head of the Department of Science and Technology Studies, and of the various lecturers in the TASC course, especially, Ors Richard Badham and Evelleen Richards; and of my friends and colleagues: Delwyn Jones, who, through her zest and insight, cajoled me into starting the T AS c course and then helped maintain my enthusiasm through our years of talking about science and technology issues; David Burgin, who provided the computer for drafting the thes{s and who checked various parts of the thesis; Dr Daniel Yuen, for his comments on the thesis; and finally, Dr David Willis, who suffered so good naturedly through the reading and commenting on of my many TASC essays and thesis.