Does the Australian Research Council want Labor research spokesman Kim Carr’s head to explode? The eminent agency yesterday announced a new training centre at RMIT; “to accelerate transformation of Australia’s automotive industry.” Um in a world without Ford, Holden and Toyota production lines “industry” is a bit of a stretch.

Apparently, the new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Lightweight Automotive Structures “will develop new lightweight technologies, manufacturing processes and energy storage” – presumably for vehicles assembled overseas. It’s the sort of science Senator Carr would have liked to see used to keep manufacturers here.