About FASTS

Introduction | Governance | Achievements

Introduction

FASTS is an energetic representative of 60,000 working scientists and technologists, and promotes their views on a wide range of policy issues to Government, industry and the community.

The Federation was formed in late 1985, as a reaction to the 1984 Federal Budget, which made substantial cuts to funding for science. Its formation followed Barry Jones’ infamous accusation that the S&T community was “wimpish" in its lobbying and did not provide him with sufficient muscle in his dealings with cabinet as Minister for Science.

The societies which make up FASTS represent the professional interests of scientists and technologists in Australia. Members include organisations such as the Australian Neuroscience Society, Australian Society for Biophysics, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the Australian Council of Deans of Science and the Women in Science Enquiry Network.

Our President is an ex officio member of the Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Engineering Council (PMSEIC), and this allows FASTS to contribute to discussions at the highest levels in policy-making in Australia.

FASTS has three formal objectives:

• to encourage scientific dialogue between industry, government, and the S&T community;
• to promote public understanding of science; and
• to foster close relations between the societies

Governance

FASTS comprises three levels of organisation:

The Federation
The Federation meets at least once a year, typically in November in Canberra. All members are entitled to vote at the Federation’s general meetings and these meetings are the only mechanism to change the constitution.

Board
The Board has overall responsibility for carrying out the functions of FASTS. It meets three times a year and comprises the Executive and 12 ‘cluster’ representatives.

Ten clusters are organised along broad ‘disciplinary’ lines – eg medical and cognitive sciences – and two clusters cover organisations who are not primarily disciplinary-based.

Many distinguished scientists have served on the FASTS' Board, including Australia's 1996 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Physiology, Peter Doherty; former President of the Australian Academy of Science, David Curtis; former Queensland Chief Scientist and Director of AIMS; Dr Joe Baker, former Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies, Professor Sue Serjeantson and distinguished water scientist, the late Professor Peter Cullen.

The Executive
The FASTS executive is responsible for the ordinary operations of FASTS. It meets monthly, with informal consultations in between.

It consists of the:

NB: The positions of President-elect and Ordinary Member alternate each year because the President has a two-year term.

To ensure a steady turnover of executive members, four positions are elected each year:

FASTS' Major Achievements

Continuing achievements 

* Organising the annual "Science meets Parliament" events each year, since it was introduced by FASTS in 1999, where approximately 200 scientists have face-to-face meetings with members of Parliament.

* Raising policy issues with the Prime Minister and cabinet colleagues through PMSEIC.

* Organising forums or workshops including, for example, on Indigenous Australia and Science (2009); Strategic Leadership of Science (2009); Nanotechnology and OH&S issues (2009); Managing Risk in Research (2008); Charters and scientific Independence (2008); Australia's energy futures (2006); Productivity Commission review - Public Support Of Science And Innovation (2006); 'third stream' funding - which changed the nature of the debate in Australia (2005); and Avian Bird flu pandemic (2005).

* Providing evidence to Parliamentary Committees.

* Maintaining an active dialogue with Government Departments.

* Writing submissions to Government reviews and inquiries.

* Developing science policy at a high level.

* Assisting Member Societies to raise and develop issues.

Specific Recent Highlights:

• Highlighting the importance of shifting programs from risk-averse to risk-aware approaches (2008/9)
  
• Successfully advocating that 'preparedness' be formally be included by the Productivity Commission as a class of outcomes in public investment in R&D (2006/7).
• Successfully lobbying for a review of ABS research and socio-economic codes (2006) - the new codes to come into effect in March 2008.
• Successfully requesting that ARC 'discovery' and 'linkage' grant announcements be made in the first two weeks of October (rather than November or December) to ensure researchers are better able to manage their research careers (2006).
• Provoking a major overhaul of Bio-security Australia following FASTS' critique of the Import Risk Assessment (IRA) process (2004).