Labor research spokesman Kim Carr made a solid speech at the Science Meets Business event yesterday. In the text released by his office shortly after he spoke the senator addressed the importance of basic, as well as applied research and criticised the government’s new impact and engagement metrics, which will be “eminently rortable.” “The ARC has done its best with a bad policy. They have been asked to do the impossible … As the report of the pilot by the Australian Research Council reveals, the exercise is riddled with uncertainty about how it can measure impact, if at all. But we do know that the process is likely to saddle universities with another layer of metrics, with accompanying compliance costs.”

Senator Carr also raised long term research funding, as recommended by the Clark Infrastructure Review.  And his text suggested allowing new public good cooperative research centres and ending the ten year life of CRCs.

On funding the senator’s speech stated; “Labor will make announcements on these matters as the election approaches.”

Unless it does not. Late yesterday Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s office recalled the speech.