BAMOS
Dec 2019
Immediate Past President of STA
Professor Emma Johnston AO discusses
how to ‘speak for science’ with Professor
Gary Evans (Chief Science Advisor, New
Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation
and Employment) and Dr Alan Finkel
(Australia’s Chief Scientist).
Source: Bradley Cummings/STA
At the Gala Dinner, MC and science communicator Lee Constable
made everyone feel at home, telling stories of her scientific
upbringing on a beef stud farm. Karen Andrews, the Minister
for Science, Engineering and Technology, was particularly
taken with this topic as she also had some stories to share on
"AI”. It turns out this can mean Artificial Insemination as well as
Artificial Intelligence! We had definitely not been briefed about
how to respond appropriately to this topic of conversation, but
it was great to see politicians relaxing and mingling with the
attendees.
Day two: our day on the hill
The second day was in Parliament House, and after clearing
security we were ushered into a packed room to hear how we
could continue our conversations with politicians. The STA STEM
Ambassador Program is one avenue, as is connecting with the
STA Policy Committee.
In between these discussions, attendees ducked in and out to
meet with our assigned politicians. These meetings had been
organised in advance, but there were many changes on the day
as the chaos of Parliament took priority.
The infamous bells of Parliament rang on and off all day. Each
time they started up, MPs would leap up and rush off with
hurried apologies to participate in a vote in the chamber. Such
is life in Parliament House.
Some of us had a brief encounter with our assigned politician as
they rushed out of their office in response to the bell. Others had
more lengthy conversations with their MP. We were pleasantly
surprised by how friendly and engaged the politicians and
their advisors were, and how much they wanted to hear about
science.
At lunchtime there was the opportunity to attend the infamous
National Press Club address, provided, of course, that you
did not have a coinciding meeting with your MP. For those in
attendance, we had the good fortune of hearing Professor Lisa
Harvey‑Smith speak about gender equity in science and her role
as the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador.
There was discussion around gender bias in the workplace,
home and classroom, as well as lingering stereotypes around
who belongs in STEM. Professor Harvey‑Smith advocated for
diverse STEM role models, making women in STEM more visible
and promoting STEM education from a young age. It was an
inspiring address, and a tasty lunch!
Afternoon activities included attending Question Time in
the House of Representatives or optional Parliament House
Beekeeping and Geology Tours.
The geology tour took in the front entrance of the building,
inspecting the large variety of marble that adorns most
surfaces of the building, including Shawn the Prawn in the foyer.
It finished with a walk through the front gardens to view the
unconformity within the road cutting of State Circuit.
Those of us who attended Question Time were bemused at
the dramatic session proceedings—an experience that is far
removed from day‑to‑day interactions with our own colleagues!
The politics (pun intended) of Parliament and parliamentarians
were on full display, with an endless parade of rousing speeches
and cunningly placed questions, followed by motions to vote
on. Here we got to see the other side of the bells: the debate
would cease for four minutes while the bells rang around
Parliament and MPs rushed in. Then the doors close and the
vote would take place.
The Science meets Parliament 2019 Gala Dinner. Source: Bradley Cummings/STA
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