Innovation, Collaboration and Creativity: Science Meets Parliament 2026
Science Meets Parliament 2026. Image: Sarah Kachovich
Science Meets Parliament is Science and Technology Australia’s (STA) flagship event that brings together parliamentarians and scientists to discuss Australia’s Research and Development landscape. This year, the event saw milestones reached, including critical discussions on building stronger capabilities and aligning government, industry, and the research community to deliver greater impact.
2026 Reflections
By all accounts, Science Meets Parliament (SMP) 2026 was another standout year for participants, offering many takeaways across a broad range of topics. Our AuScope representatives this year, Shane Mule and Dr Lucia McCallum, were also accompanied by the ANZIC team, represented by Professor Myra Keep from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Dr David Hutchinson from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
Shane Mule, Principal Scientist at CSIRO and Program Lead for the National Virtual Core Library (NVCL), highlighted several key points at SMP, including effective communication with politicians and community readiness for change.
One of his highlights came from a session about Indigenous truth-telling and how science can be framed as a form of truth-telling that allows better communication with Indigenous groups.
“Science is essentially some version of truth-telling…We are engaging in a similar process that they [First Nations] engage in, but in a different way.”
- Shane Mule, Program Lead for the National Virtual Core Library (NVCL)
This is particularly important as better engagement with Traditional Owners is fundamental to addressing 3 of the 5 National Science and Research Priorities, which require research that is co-designed, culturally safe and grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. Without these efforts, our Nation cannot meet our intended environmental, health, climate or resilience goals.
Dr Lucia McCallum, Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania and Geospatial Project Lead for AuScope’s VLBI, also raved about her experiences at this year's event: In particular, the ability to connect with peers from a wider network and see how research fits into the Commonwealth, along with the hurdles other institutions face. The range of talks also gave Lucia ample time to scope out her next research grant!
One of the key topics covered was the role that women have in academia and the issues that they still face:
“This is very eye-opening for me; at the same time, it makes me stronger to overcome these issues and fight for a better, fairer and more equal opportunity for the next generation of girls and women”
- Dr Lucia McCallum, Geospatial Project Lead for AuScope’s VLBI
(From L-to-R) Shane Mule, Professor Myra Keep and Dr Lucia McCallum in front of Parliament House. Images: Lucia McCallum
Creativity is our National Asset
This year’s SMP was particularly timely, with the release of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) ‘Ambitious Australia: Strategic Examination of Research and Development’ report. The report’s panel highlighted that whilst Australia has world-class research strengths, the system needs greater coordination, investment and scalability to meet national challenges.
Speaking at the National Press Club, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, expanded on how Australia must rebuild scientific capability, industrial strength and national resilience through coordinated, mission-led investment across research and development.
This speech was strengthened by Chief Scientist Tony Haymet's speech about how Australia prospers when it backs small, creative teams. Whilst acknowledging that Australia’s science and innovation system faces its challenges, prioritising it has always delivered positive results for the Australian Community.
“One of our highest priorities must be to continue investing in our inventors and innovators - because they are so often a wellspring of discovery and transformation. From Gardasil to Cochlear – from polymer banknotes to Google Maps technology – Australia has numerous examples of individuals and small teams generating big discoveries. They were individual creative thinkers doing what our society pays them to do – create new knowledge.”
- Tony Haymet, Australia’s Chief Scientist
SMP continues to remain a standout in our network's events calendar. AuScope would like to thank Science and Technology Australia (STA) for their continued work in science advocacy, bridging the gap between policy and science to improve Australia’s R&D capacity and capability. AuScope aims to continue to send our Earth Scientists to SMP to connect with our parliamentarians whilst showcasing Earth Sciences' importance in supporting Australia’s economic, social and environmental prosperity.
Team AuScope and ANZIC Represent! (From L-to-R): Dr David Hutchinson, Dr Sarah Kachovich, Professor Myra Keep, Dr Lucia McCallum, Dr Sue Barrell and Shane Mule. Images: Science and Technology Australia
AUTHORS
SMP2026 is a major science communication event hosted by Science and Technology Australia (STA) every year.
AUTHORS
Authors: Daniel Vlahek
Edited by: Philomena Manifold & Rebecca Farrington
FURTHER READING
STA is Australia’s peak body in science and technology. It represents more than 80,000 scientists and technologists. In addition to Science Meets Parliament, STA offers professional development opportunities for Earth scientists through AuScope’s membership.