People are being railroaded by science that might be wrong warns MP

Federal Council of the National Party has adopted a motion from George Christensen (Nats-Qld) to create an “independent science quality assurance agency, to check scientific papers underpinning public policy and affecting peoples’ lives and livelihoods.”

The motion, “notes recent concerns about the ‘replication crisis’ or ‘reproducibility crisis’ in science” and calls on the federal government, “to provide quality assurance and verification of scientific papers which are used to influence, formulate or determine public policy.”

Mr Christensen represents Queensland communities including Bowen, Mackay and the south of Townsville. He is a supporter of coal mining, and of Peter Ridd, the former James Cook U scientist who criticises research at the university which concludes the Great Barrier Reef is in poor condition.

“Farmers, coal miners, business and industry across this nation are being railroaded by policies that have been implemented because scientific research papers said there was some problem that needed fixing. Many of those last scientific papers have never been tested and their conclusions may be wrong,” Mr Christensen posted to FaceBook Saturday.

He is not the only member of the Nats backbench unimpressed with universities. In his first speech, last week, new Queensland senator Gerard Rennick suggested TAFE skills-training should “take precedence over non-vocational university degrees.”