22
BAMOS
Dec 2019
A double rainbow outside Parliament
House on the way to the Science meets
Parliament Gala Dinner.
Source: Linden Ashcroft
Science meets Parliament 2019
Linden Ashcroft 1 , Christine Chung 2 , Cat de Burgh‑Day 2 , Djarra Delaney 2 and Carly Tozer 3
1
The University of Melbourne, Victoria
2
Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria
3
CSIRO, Tasmania
For many scientists, wearing business attire is a big deal. Seeing
a scientist in a suit often means they’ve won an award, are
heading to a job interview, or are giving a keynote speech at a
conference. But when over 200 scientists wear business attire
for two whole days, it can only mean one thing: Science meets
Parliament.
The goal of Science meets Parliament is to highlight the
valuable role of science, technology, engineering and maths
(STEM) in Australian society and politics by bringing together
STEM professionals and politicians. This year’s event was the
20th Science meets Parliament, with attendees from across
Australia and from all fields of STEM.
On day one, attendees are given a day of training about the life
of a politician, how to communicate with those ‘on the hill’, and
what to expect at Parliament House. On day two, they are let
loose in the hallowed halls, meeting with parliamentarians and
hearing from decision makers on all sides.
A few of us from AMOS attended this year, including Christine
Chung who was supported by AMOS, and Djarra Delaney who
was awarded an Indigenous STEM Scholarship.
Over two big days and one gala dinner, we covered science,
policy and communication. Not only did we get a chance to
meet politicians, but we also connected with many of our peers
from across STEM fields and industry.
Day one: how to talk to politicians
There were many highlights on day one, but a few key moments
stood out:
• Ngambri‑Ngunnawal custodian Paul House delivered a powerful
Welcome to Country, celebrating the power of language.
• The opening address from Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood
reminded us that being a scientist means evolving from being
a tourist, to an adventurer, to an explorer in the search for new
knowledge. She also passionately advocated for the importance
of communicating our science, because ‘there is no point being
a world‑class violin player in a sound‑proof room’.
• We heard from many Chief Scientists over both days, including
Dr Alan Finkel (Australia), Dr Cathy Foley (CSIRO), Dr Sarah
Pearson (DFAT) and Dr Bruce Warrington (National Measurement
Institute).
• We learnt from lobbyists, journalists, and university directors
about what to do—and what NOT to do—when talking to those
in power. We also spent time honing our pitches and ideas to
share during our meetings with ministers and members of
parliament.
One valuable takeaway from these sessions was that engaging
with politics and politicians is a long game, and our meetings
the following day would (hopefully!) be the first of many.
Winthrop Professor Fiona Wood delivers the opening
address at Science meets Parliament 2019.
Source: Bradley Cummings/STA