Today the Future Party is announcing the “Fund our Future: Rally for Research” campaign to encourage increased funding of Australia’s research institutions. The government’s drastic cuts to funding will damage Australia’s academic research sector. The campaign will include a petition and will culminate in a rally on the 3rd of May in the lead up to the budget announcement.

“The Coalition has threatened to cut $113 million in research funding from the budget of the Australian Research Council. Up to 600 jobs at the CSIRO are also at risk,” said James Jansson, leader of the Future Party. The ARC is responsible for assessing projects and awarding grants across a wide range of academic fields.

“By increasing funding for academic research, the government can position Australia to become a nation that fosters innovation and new industries. Science and technology research is instrumental to Australia’s future prosperity,” said Shanika Kuruppu, coordinator of the Fund our Future: Rally for Research campaign. “Without government support, jobs in research will become even harder to find.”

Budget cuts will cause further harm to the already under-resourced research sector. Rather than enriching our academic sector, which will create new industries and new jobs, the Coalition is diverting and cutting funding from Australian research. Furthermore, they are offering little explanation of where these funds are being redirected.

These plans to cut research funding are not an isolated occurrence; they, along with similar actions taken by the Coalition since their election, form a pattern of undermining science and research in Australia.

“The government should immediately appoint a Science and Technology minister,” said Mr Jansson. “Without a Science minister, there will be no one in government to advocate funding for scientific research, hurting Australia’s international performance and reputation.”

As part of their campaign to improve research funding in Australia, the Future Party has organised an online petition to be sent to Treasurer Joe Hockey prior to the release of the federal budget. The Fund our Future: Rally for Research petition is available to sign here:

http://fundourfuture.org.au/

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About the Fund our Future: Rally for Research Campaign

The Fund our Future: Rally for Research campaign is supported by the Future Party.

The campaign calls for increased government funding of academic research, and will include a petition and a rally on the 3rd of May in the lead up to the budget announcement.

About the Future Party:

The Future Party is a political party which is dedicated to thinking of long term solutions to advance our society. The Future Party believes quality of life is improved primarily through technological developments, sourced through a scientific approach to knowledge in the context of democracy and peace. We see innovation, education and economic reforms as key to the success of Australia.

Media inquiries:

Saritha Manickam
Media Officer
[email protected]
0481 373 728