There are widespread reports that the political fetish with returning the Federal government to a surplus will result in cuts to Australia’s research funding budget of close to half a billion dollars:
Research cuts put lives at risk, say medical institutes
Research cuts will create ‘brain drain’
These cuts are driven by an obsession with running a permanent budget surplus that is good politics but bad economics. For Australia to consider achieving this pointless goal by further undermining its already pathetic level of research funding is even more insane.
Normally politically inactive researchers have finally had enough and are fighting back. The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has established a protest movement “Discoveries Need Dollars”, and they are holding a Rally for Research in Melbourne next week:
RALLY FOR RESEARCH!
State Library of Victoria (Swanston St) — Tuesday 12 April @ 12:45–2PM
Mooted policies like this show the wisdom in Donald Horne’s often mis-quoted description of Australia as “the lucky country”:
Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck…
Australia showed less enterprise than almost any other prosperous industrial society. (Donald Horne)
It’s time to tell the second-rate people thinking of making insane decisions like this to back off. If you are in Melbourne, please attend the rally, and support the campaign.
