Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.B. Martin:

That this council—

1. Recognises that this year marks 75 years of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO);

2. Acknowledges the many notable and world-leading scientific achievements of the CSIRO and its researchers over its decades of operation;

3. Affirms the fundamental importance of scientific research and innovation to promoting human health and wellbeing, a successful society, and a prosperous economy; and

4. Commends the crucial role played by the CSIRO in our nation’s historic, contemporary and future contributions to scientific and technological advancement.

(Continued from 5 June 2024.)

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (16:26): I rise today to briefly speak on this motion brought to this place by the Hon. Reggie Martin. I want to specifically highlight some of the good work the CSIRO does for our agricultural communities, such as improving farming efficiencies and improving productivity and research and development so that the work on the land the farmers do can be beneficial to feed and clothe Australians today and far into the future.

The CSIRO has more than 6,000 people working for it across 49 sites in Australia and two overseas. They also collaborate with researchers across the world, with more than 1,400 international collaborators and customers across 87 countries. In 2023, in a Roy Morgan survey, the CSIRO brand was voted most trusted government service for the second year in a row. From their scientific research and development on crops to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability to better livestock breeding and management practices, and to researching future agricultural and aquacultural practices to boost the value and competitiveness of our produce on the world stage, the CSIRO does a wide range of work to assist our agricultural industry.

Australia is a harsh place to farm and the research and development of technologies, including genomic breeding, increases the chances of success. Those practices are best done in Australia by Australians under conditions that imitate those found by farmers around our great country. We may take inspiration from other parts of the world on practices, but unless they have been put to the test in Australia, frankly they cannot be considered tough enough.

Some of the breakthroughs the CSIRO is responsible for include the formula behind Aeroguard, initially used with our troops to prevent infection from malaria-bearing mosquitoes. For stock, the development of the vaccine Equivac HeV to the Hendra virus, one of the most dangerous viruses in the world for horses, was a breakthrough. The commercial vaccine has reduced costs of disease response and containment and in a way stops the disease in its tracks, limiting its ability to mutate and spread from horse to horse and, more devastatingly, from horse to human.

Another of the CSIRO's breakthroughs is the isolation of a particular grain of barley with four times the resistant starch and twice the dietary fibre of regular grains. The super grain BARLEYMax with low GI is these days found in a range of commercially available food products and recognised by international health bodies for its benefits. These are only a few of the breakthrough developments that have greatly benefited our way of life on the land.

I thank the Hon. Reggie Martin for bringing this motion to this place. The CSIRO's primary functions under the provisions of the Science and Industry Research Act 1949 are to carry out scientific research to benefit Australian industry and the community, and to contribute to the achievement of national objectives. They have achieved just that in their 75 years, and I wish to place on the record the appreciation of the agricultural community for the research and development the organisation contributes to life on the land in the harsh conditions that we here in Australia have.

Motion carried.