1) SmP 2) House of Reps announces inquiry to investigate impact of climate change on farming

1. SmP
Just a reminder that Science meets Parliament registrations close on 20 February. All societies are entitled to nominate two people to attend. Quite a number have asked me for additional places and I will do what I can to accommodate them. As we try to ensure everyone meets at least two Parliamentarians, the total number of registrants I can accept is simply a function of the number of Parliamentarians who are available for meetings.

If your society does not intend to nominate two people can you let me know ASAP as that will free up places for redistribution.

I have also had a couple of inquiries as to whether society nominees have to pay to register. The answer is we cannot provide any free nominations. SmP is an expensive operation – the dinner alone costs close to $50,000 and the cost price is roughly $800 per head. So sponsors and FASTS already cover well about 60% of the costs for normal registrations and over 80% for early career scientists. That doesn't necessarily mean societies have to pay registrations however – often universities, CRCs, Centres of Excellence, individual firms have resources available to cover professional development or communications opportunities like SmP.

FYI – Penny Sackett, Chief Scientist will be the keynote speaker at the dinner.

2. Adapting farming to climate change — New Inquiry
I know this is not relevant to many members but some of you will have expertise to contribute to a new inquiry announced an hour ago into the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The inquiry will be undertaken by the House of Representatives Primary Industries and Resources Committee. As the deadline for submissions is two days after Science meets Parliament there is no way FASTS will have the time to put in a submission, however some of you may choose to do so – or pass it on to relevant research groups or individual scientists who will.

The announcement is pasted in below.

Regards

Bradley

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House of Representatives - Email alert service
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Issued by: House of Representatives Liaison & Projects Office, Thursday 5 February 2009

Adapting farming to climate change — New Inquiry

The House of Representatives Primary Industries and Resources Committee has commenced a new inquiry into the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The Committee believes that the time is right to investigate how farmers can better adapt to the challenges of changing climate. The focus of the inquiry will be on innovation and adaptation at the enterprise level, on the ground, and the role of government and research organisations in supporting this.

The Chair of the Committee, Dick Adams, said it is important for government to identify the changes that are needed for our agriculture industries to adapt to climate change. These changes are already occurring on the farm as Australia’s farmers seek new and innovative methods to adapt their farming techniques to changing circumstances.

“We need to ensure that adaptation to climate change is not just occurring in isolated pockets,” Mr Adams said.

“We need to ensure that innovation is being identified and supported, that new ideas are widely accessible, and that the implications of changes to farming methods for the supply chain and downstream processes are also considered. We must get this right if we are to maintain an internationally competitive Australian agricultural sector.”

The Committee will inquire into and report upon:

·             Current and prospective adaptations to the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the potential impacts on downstream processing.

·       The role of government in:

§      augmenting the shift towards farming practices which promote resilience in the farm sector in the face of climate change;

§       promoting research, extension and training which assists the farm sector to better adapt to climate change.

·       The role of rural research and development in assisting farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Submissions are due by Friday, 20 March 2009, although the Committee would appreciate that submissions be sent as early as possible. The Committee would prefer submissions to be sent electronically to pir.reps@aph.gov.au <mailto:pir.reps@aph.gov.au> . Submitters are encouraged to read the information on preparing a submission available on the committee website before lodging their submission.

For media comment: please contact the Committee Chair, the Hon Dick Adams MP, on (02) 6277 4293 or email Dick.Adams.MP@aph.gov.au <mailto:Dick.Adams.MP@aph.gov.au>

Further information: contact the Inquiry Secretary (02) 6277 4500, email pir.reps@aph.gov.au <mailto:pir.reps@aph.gov.au>  or visit the Committee’s webpage at http://www.aph.gov.au/pir <http://www.aph.gov.au/pir>