🚀 go-pugleaf

The following article appeared in The Australian of
27January 1992 (p13).  It is useful background to the
gathering storm over AARNet funding.  On page 18 of the
same paper there is a letter from Free denouncing FASTS
and explaining what a great job the government has done
in increasing science and technology funding.  This is
accompanied by a reply by Ditta Bartels, the President of
RASTS, which challenges the Minister's interpretation of
funding figures.

There is a great quote in the following article:

`Mr Free claimed one senior academic had told him
"somebody ought to get in among that mob (FASTS) with a
bike chain  " '

I wonder if this was one of his old
cronies from the Right faction of the NSW Labor Party.
They seem to go for knives and bike chains.  Just ask
Peter Baldwin.

    *************************************************

Feud between Free and FASTS becomes uglier

By science and technology writer JULIAN CRIBB

THE feud between the Minister for Science, Mr Free, and
the nation's peak science lobby, the Federation of
Australian Science and Technology Societies, is
escalating into a full-blown conflict in the runup to the
federal election.

The Federal Government has refused to deal with FASTS and
is attempting to isolate the organisation from the
remainder of the science community.

Last week, FASTS hit back with a detailed analysis
challenging the effectiveness of the Government's science
policy and the accuracy of its funding claims. The
analysis has gone to all its members as well as federal
MPs.

It was the minister who fired the first salvo in this
round when, just belore Christmas, he wrote to vice-
chancellors and senlor scientists in a bid to isolate
FASTS and 'deal direct'with the science community.

This followed the failure of his earlier attempt to
persuade the FASTS board to repudiate a newsletter
editorial critical of the Government written by its
executive director, Dr David Widdup - and the minister'ssubsequent refusal to have anything to do with the
federation.The extraordinary row between Mr Free and the
leading
science lobby was given the Keating Government what might
be seen as a needless embarrassment in the phoney-war
period before the announcement of a general election.

In the usual course of events, the academlc community
would not be regarded as a source of concerted hostile
criticism for Labor - but with the sensitivities of
severe funding shortfalls, overcrowding and infrastruture
decline, the confrontation has a potentially incendiary
character.

Mr Free this week hit back at FASTS, claiming its
critique of his own claims and figures was "a farrago of
falsehoods and half-truths".

He said it showed the "lengths the current FA8TS
leadership will go to in misrepresenting the Government's
science policy".

"It confirms the Government was correct last year when it
decided to have nothing to do with those who do not
represent the best interests of the science and
technology community but rather act as stooges of the
Coalition."

He sald the FASTS membership was becoming increasingly
conccerned at the bizarre behaviour of those who
purported to lead the organisatlon .

Mr Free claimed one senior academic had told him somebody
ought to get in among that mob (FASTS) with a bike chain
. . ."

Another replied to his letter advising that the
Government had ceased dealing with FASTS with: "I am
surprised it took you so long."

The president of FASTS, Dr Ditta Bartels, said the
minister's attempts to persuade senior researchers and
vlce-chancellors to ignore the federation had failed
totally". She said many had sent it messages of support.

The deputy vice-chancel]or, research, of Melbourne
University, Professor Frank Larkins, said the science
community was frustrated followillg expectations built up
by the Government which it had failed to fulfil.

"People have come to the view that (Prime Minister)
Keating does not have the concern of his predecessor forresearch and development. You judge them by the
resultstheyobtain.

"The Government has done a fair job in some areas but we
do not have a good balance. A real national science and
technology policy should give us that balance. I think
science will be a real issue in the election -as a key
part of how to make Australia economically competitive."

Professor Larkins said many Asian countries were starting
to substantially outstrip Australia in spending on
research and development and with incentives to innovate.

The Government's White Paper simply did not address the
hard questions of science and technology policy, he said.
"Researchers will be reluctant to support the Government
in science and technology unless we get better statements
that it is prepared to tackle the core issues.

"But we are equally frustrated with the lack of any
science policy statement from the Opposition. So far
there have only been unsatisfactory drafts," he said.