topic Re: Where is the Ministry for Science? in Community Spirit

Where is the Ministry for Science?

i-need-a-martini — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 02:27:50 GMT

What about Innovation? Research? Ageing?

Or even Tourism?

And how come Arts gets lumbered in with the Attorney Generals busy portfolio?

Yet Border Protection gets it's own ministry rather than falling under the obvious category of Defence. An entire ministry for a handful of people that apparently aren't going to be coming here anymore?

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

mugssy65 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 02:55:54 GMT

Hogwarts? 🙂

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

spotweldersfriend — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 02:57:54 GMT

It's been replaced with the Ministry of Silence.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

lurker17260 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:00:25 GMT

That's where the 12,000 public service job cuts are coming from. Just abolish the dept., that gets rid of 'em

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:06:36 GMT

it will be shared between the Industry and Education...

but hey, what are you worried about? Afghanistan has 3 female ministers but no ministry of science...

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

jethro_woolfe — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:07:17 GMT

In the last 5 years the science debate has seen the LNP sentiment fall on the side of psuedo-science. This is because it wants and needs to harness ignorance to advantage, something it has done very successfully even if they don't believe it themselves.

Mr Abbott and his team made a lot of gains with a nonk approach to science , especially climate denial. Ignorance is for them an electoral must as is seen by the use again and again of dog-whistle politics. Climate deniers can relate to him and the fake persona he presents them as being 'one of us' when in fact he isn't , but he's happy to take their vote.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

cherry*135 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:11:58 GMT

Who decides we don't need a Ministry of Science when we have always had one since the 1930's?

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:17:11 GMT

@i-need-a-martini wrote:
What about Innovation? Research? Ageing?
Or even Tourism?

And how come Arts gets lumbered in with the Attorney Generals busy portfolio?

Yet Border Protection gets it's own ministry rather than falling under the obvious category of Defence. An entire ministry for a handful of people that apparently aren't going to be coming here anymore?

Border Protection AND Immigration Ministry

Tony Burke was a Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship and the Minister for the Arts.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

i-need-a-martini — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:28:55 GMT

@**meep** wrote:
it will be shared between the Industry and Education...

but hey, what are you worried about? Afghanistan has 3 female ministers but no ministry of science...

I can't see where I brought up afghanistan, can you?

And since when do you 'share' something as pivotal as Science. It seems to me that it is less about sharing and more about diffusing.

It's an astounding ommission that says much about where the government expects us to be placed globally and in the future.

For such a small country Australia has always been a leader in som many scientific fields because we have always given it the attention it deserves.

I suspect that will no longer be the case.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

master*and*commander — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:35:12 GMT

Down the hall from Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:43:31 GMT

I can't see where I brought up afghanistan, can you?

No idea. Comparisons have been made between our new cabinet and afghanistan on a couple of threads discussing our ministers.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

master*and*commander — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:51:14 GMT

Could this be Tony Abbott's way of keeping Science and Religion seperate? Could Tony Abbott be attempting to diminsh Science in an effort to elevate and promote his religious beliefs?

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

not_an_eloi — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:00:40 GMT

strife from within the coalition party, as a backbencher speaks up over the ministry portfolio (and the PPL scheme)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-17/dennis-jensen-hits-out-at-science-confusion-in-new-ministry/4962898

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

not_an_eloi — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:02:06 GMT

more CUTS to the CSIRO, no risk

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

cherry*135 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:07:35 GMT

@**meep** wrote:
I can't see where I brought up afghanistan, can you?

No idea. Comparisons have been made between our new cabinet and afghanistan on a couple of threads discussing our ministers.

This thread is specifically about Aust no longer having a Ministry for Science though, not about how many female MP's in the new ministry (which other threads covered).

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:13:12 GMT

@i-need-a-martini wrote:
@**meep** wrote:
it will be shared between the Industry and Education...

but hey, what are you worried about? Afghanistan has 3 female ministers but no ministry of science...

I can't see where I brought up afghanistan, can you?

And since when do you 'share' something as pivotal as Science. It seems to me that it is less about sharing and more about diffusing.

It's an astounding ommission that says much about where the government expects us to be placed globally and in the future.

For such a small country Australia has always been a leader in som many scientific fields because we have always given it the attention it deserves.

I suspect that will no longer be the case.

Perhaps we should wait and see. Professor Les Field - secretary for science policy at the Australian Academy of Science: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3849932.htm

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

i-need-a-martini — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:17:33 GMT

Jensen is right on the money with the concerns many people would have about the lack of a science portfolio. To place it in a portfolio as part of the Indsutry ministry is an admission that scientific research is of no consequence in this country.

Perhaps he has hit the nail on the head with this comment: "I mean we've got a Minister for Sport for God's sake, but we don't have a Minister for Science...I guess this is the problem with not having people of scientific bent in decision-making processes, where people don't understand science generally."

Tony gets sport. He doesn't get science. Is it as simple as that?

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:21:54 GMT

Thank you Am. You have no issues with the reference to Harry Porter though?

(btw, Muggsy, neither do I )

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

cherry*135 — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:25:24 GMT

It was the OP that queried your post originally, not me. I could see what she meant.

Who is Harry Porter? don't answer that.

Re: Where is the Ministry for Science?

**meep** — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:28:04 GMT

@master*and*commander wrote:
Could this be Tony Abbott's way of keeping Science and Religion seperate? Could Tony Abbott be attempting to diminsh Science in an effort to elevate and promote his religious beliefs?

Absolutely. I am 100% convinced that's what he intends to achieve. Does anyone actually doubt that?