CSIRO (Austrlia's NOAA) In Deep Trouble As Politics Drives Out Scientists

[hatrack]

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It seems that former distinguished scientists and leaders in the CSIRO are realising that their experience was not unique. They are beginning to speak out in the national interest, and from a sense of loyalty for the organisation and its dedicated staff. A recent example is the article by former CSIRO chief Dr Annabelle Duncan in the October issue of the R&D Review entitled "Innovation and the culture of silence". The title alone speaks volumes.

The individual reasons for the exodus are probably many but a common thread emerges - an intolerance by senior management and the Government to criticism and alternative viewpoints. In some instances, the challenges have been entirely within the organisation, but still the axe has fallen. The in-group thinking that gave AWB a false sense of security in its external dealings seems to be pervading the CSIRO. This is well illustrated by the CSIRO's responses to reasoned criticism in recent letters to The Australian Financial Review that its popular diet book has not "been scientifically proven". Of much greater significance is the CSIRO's emerging knee-jerk responses to criticisms by Graeme Pearman, Fred Prata and Michael Borgas on climate change issues, or Barney Foran, Roger Pechand, Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe on ecological sustainability. These are blithely dismissed as "disgruntled former staff".

Something has gone terribly wrong for the CSIRO to be in today's predicament. Certainly, the blame cannot be fully dumped on Garrett. Recruited in January 2001 from South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Garrett arrived with impressive credentials. In 1998, he was voted South Africa's "Boss of the Year". Garrett's period of leading the CSIR was marked by a number of personal and organisational achievements. In October 1999 the CSIR was the overall winner of the prestigious national Corporate Governance Award. And in November 2000 the CSIR received the Institute of Marketing Management award as "Marketing Organisation of the Year" for the Pretoria region. Little wonder that then science minister Nick Minchin and CSIRO chairman Charles Allen saw in Garrett an opportunity to transform the CSIRO from Australia's public leading good research agency into an enterprise focused on short-term issues and to reduce its dependency on government funding. Garrett promised to "grow CSIRO" into a global research enterprise eventually attracting about 60 per cent of its funding from external sources. His attempts have proved to be costly failures, in monetary and human terms.

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There is an urgent need to review the CSIRO's board structure, its responsibilities and accountability mechanisms to determine if it best serves the Government and the community. The recent review of statutory authorities, chaired by John Uhrig, recommended that boards such as the CSIRO's and the Australian Research Council either be abolished or given genuine independence and made truly accountable. Much to the annoyance of the academic community, then education minister Brendan Nelson effectively abolished the ARC board; but no decision has been made on the future of the CSIRO board. Meanwhile, the storm clouds gather.

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http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/the-csiro-is-in-deep-trouble/2006/02/14/1139890735049.html